Americans continue to drive more than during the height of the pandemic, with preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration showing an increase of 1.6% in vehicle miles traveled, or approximately 39 billion miles. This resulted in a decrease in the estimated fatality rate for the first nine months of 2022, to 1.30 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared to the projected rate of 1.32 fatalities during the same period in 2021.
NHTSA also projected that fatalities decreased slightly in the third quarter of 2022, marking the second consecutive quarterly decrease in fatalities after seven consecutive quarters of year-to-year increases that began in the third quarter of 2020. However, NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson warns that there is more work to be done to address the crisis on America's roadways and urged everyone to do their part by driving safely and looking out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
The NHTSA estimates that for the first three quarters of 2022, fatalities increased in 25 states, stayed unchanged in one state, and decreased in 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The agency also released a new report, “Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories Through June 2022,” which shows a mixture of increases and decreases across different subcategories.
NHTSA plans to have a full-year estimate for 2022 fatalities available by late April.
Source: NHTSA
