Investigators are inspecting the crash site between an SUV and a semi-truck full of gravel, near Holtville, California, on March 2, 2021.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
According to new data released on Tuesday by federal vehicle safety officials, more people died on U.S. roads last year than in any year since 2005.
According to the National Road Safety Administration, Department of Transport, 42,915 people died in accidents in 2021, which is 10.5% more than in 2020, when 38,824 people died. Among the dead – pedestrians, cyclists and others who may have died. during the accident.
According to the agency, the number of fatalities in accidents with several vehicles and on city roads increased by 16%, which was the largest increase compared to the same period last year. Other notable increases included: mortality of people aged 65 and over, which increased by 14%; death of pedestrians – by 13%; and fatalities in accidents involving at least one large truck, up 13%.
In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Boutige called the situation “a crisis on America’s roads that we must address together.”
Butidzic said the Biden administration was taking “critical steps to help reverse this destructive trend”, citing the previously announced National Road Safety Strategy and the Biden Bipartite Infrastructure Act.
According to NHTSA estimates, the number of road fatalities increased in 2021 in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The higher death toll was in line with the increase in miles on U.S. roads compared to 2020. Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration show that vehicle mileage in 2021 increased by about 325 billion miles, or about 11.2% compared to 2020.
Despite the extra miles traveled, the mortality rate based on mileage has remained about the same since 2020. The death rate in 2021 is estimated at 1.33 deaths per 100 million miles traveled compared to 1.34 deaths in 2020.
