Despite a majority of U.S. residents spending the last year in their homes amid the pandemic, the number of people who lost their lives on the road increased from 2019 to 2020.
There were over 42,000 motor vehicle deaths in 2020, according to the National Safety Council, a nonprofit organization that released a report on last year’s data Thursday. The exact total, 42,060, is the most people to have died in traffic accidents since 2007, representing an 8% increase from the previous year, even though people were driving less frequently.
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The preliminary data shows that the rate of death on the roads spiked 24% compared to the previous 12-month period, even though the number of miles driven declined by 13%.
The increase in the rate of death is the highest year-over-year jump in nearly 100 years.
“It is tragic that in the U.S., we took cars off the roads and didn’t reap any safety benefits,” Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, said. “These data expose our lack of an effective roadway safety culture. It is past time to address roadway safety holistically and effectively, and NSC stands ready to assist all stakeholders, including the federal government.”
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Only nine states saw a drop in motor-related fatalities from 2019 to 2020, while eight states experienced more than a 15% increase in the estimated number of deaths.
The nonprofit organization noted ways to make the roads safer: lowering speed limits, laws banning cellphone use, upgrading seat belt laws, and lowering state blood alcohol concentration levels for impairment.
