🚗 Fewer traffic deaths in the US last year

• Traffic deaths in the USA decreased by 3.6 percent last year.
• This marks the second consecutive year of a decrease in deaths, despite an increase in miles driven.
• Safety campaigns and initiatives against distracted driving are intensifying.

Reduction in traffic fatalities

Last year, traffic fatalities in the USA decreased by 3.6 percent. This represents a decline from 42,514 deaths in 2022 to almost 41,000 in the previous year, reports AP.

Despite an increase in the number of miles driven by 67.5 billion, or 2.1 percent compared to the previous year, the death rates continued to decline.

Safety measures and campaigns

To address the issue of distracted driving, which is one of the main causes of traffic accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has relaunched its campaign called "Put the Phone Away or Pay". This campaign, along with intensified advertising and police operations specifically targeting distracted driving, aims to further reduce the number of deaths and accidents on the roads.

Effects of the pandemic on traffic

The increase in traffic fatalities in 2021, by 10.5 percent compared to 2020, was linked to changed driving habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, where speeds and risky behaviors increased.

However, the trend has reversed, and the latest data shows a continuous improvement and safer roads, even as society returns to more normal patterns after the pandemic.

Self-driving cars will dramatically reduce deaths

The only way to achieve zero, or near zero, traffic fatalities is through self-driving cars. After a few years of development, they will be extremely safe.

💡 Optimist’s Edge: Self-driving cars will be extremely safe

💡 Self-driving cars will be many times safer than human-driven cars and save millions of lives and stop even more people from getting hurt.

Warp NewsMathias Sundin

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