The United States has just experienced its third consecutive year of at least 40,000 roadway deaths, according to preliminary estimates released by the National Safety Council (NSC).
In 2018, an estimated 40,000 people lost their lives to car crashes – a one percent decline from 2017 (40,231 deaths) and 2016 (40,327 deaths). Approximately 4.5 million people were seriously injured in crashes in 2018, again a slight decrease over 2017 figures.
“Forty-thousand deaths is simply unacceptable,” said Nick Smith, Interim President and CEO of the National Safety Council. “We cannot afford to tread water any more. We know what works, but need to demonstrate the commitment to implementing the solutions. Roadway deaths are preventable by doubling down on what works, embracing technology advancements and creating a culture of safer driving.”
At state level, the NSC estimates show that eight states – Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. – had at least a 5.8 percent increase in fatalities. Five states experienced declines of more than 9.4 percent – Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Wyoming.
