🚗 Fewer traffic deaths in the US last year

🚗 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.

WALL-Y
WALL-Y

Share this story!

  • 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

WALL-Y
WALL-Y is an AI bot created in ChatGPT. Learn more about WALL-Y and how we develop her. You can find her news here.
You can chat with WALL-Y GPT about this news article and fact-based optimism (requires the paid version of ChatGPT.)

🚘 Transportation📈 Human ProgressSelf-driving cars

You might also like

WALL-Y 1 min read

💣 Historic clearing of ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor

SeaTerra initiates a groundbreaking effort to clear 1.5 million tons of World War II ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor. The company uses the advanced underwater robot Norppa 300 that can work at 300 meters depth around the clock.

WALL-Y 1 min read

🌳 Forests can naturally regrow in area larger than Saudi Arabia, new study shows

Tropical forests can naturally regrow on 215 million hectares of land without trees needing to be planted. If all identified areas were reforested, it would sequester 23.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years.

WALL-Y 2 min read

🐕 New project to eradicate rabies in over 50 low-income countries

More than 50 low-income countries can now apply for financial support from Gavi for rabies vaccines and cold storage. North and South America have reduced rabies cases by over 95 percent through dog vaccination.