Photo: CHP Oakland/Instagram
Described as the deadliest period on U.S. roads in 15 years, the first six months of 2021 have seen traffic fatalities increase by 18.4 percent. According to the DOT, it was the largest six-month increase recorded in the U.S. since 1975, the year the NHTSA started to crunch road fatalities.
“This is a crisis,” declared Pete Buttigieg, a former military officer who assumed the office of Secretary of Transportation in the Joe Biden administration. “More than 20,000 people died on U.S. roads in the first six months of 2021, leaving countless loved ones behind. We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America.”
More specifically, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 20,160 people died in crashes in the first half of the year. That’s 3,140 more fatalities over the same period of 2020, which is easy to explain because many Americans were in lockdown last year.
The Federal Highway Administration reports that vehicle miles traveled have increased by 173.1 billion miles - or about 13 percent - compared to the first half of 2020. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has also increased to 1.34 fatalities compared to 1.28 road deaths last year.
The NHTSA singles out speeding and not buckling up as the primary reasons for these fatalities. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs also needs to be mentioned, a problem that U.S. authorities haven’t cracked yet, even though many prior administrations have tried to keep DUI at bay.
“The report is sobering,” added Steven Cliff, the Deputy Administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “It’s also a reminder of what hundreds of millions of people can do every day, right now, to combat this: slow down, wear seatbelts, drive sober, and avoid distractions.”
As for the U.S. Department of Transportation, officials are currently working on the so-called National Roadway Safety Strategy. Publicly touted as a comprehensive set of actions that will significantly reduce serious injuries and fatalities on roadways, the strategy will be released in January 2022.
More specifically, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 20,160 people died in crashes in the first half of the year. That’s 3,140 more fatalities over the same period of 2020, which is easy to explain because many Americans were in lockdown last year.
The Federal Highway Administration reports that vehicle miles traveled have increased by 173.1 billion miles - or about 13 percent - compared to the first half of 2020. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has also increased to 1.34 fatalities compared to 1.28 road deaths last year.
The NHTSA singles out speeding and not buckling up as the primary reasons for these fatalities. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs also needs to be mentioned, a problem that U.S. authorities haven’t cracked yet, even though many prior administrations have tried to keep DUI at bay.
“The report is sobering,” added Steven Cliff, the Deputy Administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “It’s also a reminder of what hundreds of millions of people can do every day, right now, to combat this: slow down, wear seatbelts, drive sober, and avoid distractions.”
As for the U.S. Department of Transportation, officials are currently working on the so-called National Roadway Safety Strategy. Publicly touted as a comprehensive set of actions that will significantly reduce serious injuries and fatalities on roadways, the strategy will be released in January 2022.
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