Highway Fatalities Jumped 7.2% Last Year, DOT Says
U.S. highway fatalities in 2015 jumped 7.2% to 35,092, an increase of 2,348 deaths from 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported Aug. 29.
There were 4,067 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks, 4.1% more than in 2014, the highest since 2008, according to DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
Of the 4,067 large-truck fatalities, 667 (16.4%) were occupants of large trucks, 10.1% were non-occupants and 73.5% were occupants of other vehicles.
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The final NHTSA data showed traffic deaths rising across nearly every segment of the population, prompting the White House to issue a nationwide call to action.
The new number of fatalities ended a five-decade trend of declines.
"Obviously any fatality on our highways is a tragedy and this projected increase is troubling," said Bill Sullivan, executive vice president of advocacy for American Trucking Associations. "However, 2015 was also a record year for vehicle miles traveled, increasing the potential risk for crashes.
"We are anxious to see, as DOT further breaks down the data, if — as we believe it will — the long-term trend of safety improvements in the trucking industry will continue. Our industry invests $9.5 billion annually in safety programs and our professional drivers invest their time and dedication. This has paid off in a positive long-term trend of safety improvements, as the pace of passenger-vehicle-involved fatalities appears to be outpacing truck involved fatalities.”
NHTSA said the last single-year increase of such magnitude was in 1966, when fatalities rose 8.1% from the previous year.
“Despite decades of safety improvements, far too many people are killed on our nation’s roads every year,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “Solving this problem will take teamwork, so we’re issuing a call to action and asking researchers, safety experts, data scientists and the public to analyze the fatality data and help find ways to prevent these tragedies.”
NHTSA will share its Fatality Analysis Reporting System with safety partners, state and local officials, technologists, data scientistsand policy experts. Also, private sector partners using new data collection technologies will be offering access to unprecedented amounts of data and new visualization tools.
According to NHTSA, job growth and low fuel prices were factors that led to increased driving, including increased leisure driving and driving by young people. More driving can contribute to higher fatality rates. In 2015, vehicle miles traveled increased 3.5% over 2014, the largest increase in nearly 25 years.
DOT said that 10 years ago, the number of traffic deaths was nearly 25% higher, with 42,708 fatalities reported nationwide in 2005.
Since then, safety programs have helped lower the number of deaths by increasing seat belt use and reducing impaired driving, DOT said. Vehicle improvements, including air bags and electronic stability control, also have contributed to reducing traffic fatalities. After a decadelong downward trend, traffic deaths in 2015 increased by nearly one-third compared with 2014.
Pedestrian and pedal cyclist fatalities increased to a level not seen in 20 years. Motorcyclist deaths increased more than 8%. NHTSA also noted human factors continued to contribute to the majority of crashes. Almost half of passenger vehicle occupants killed were not wearing seat belts. Research shows almost one in three fatalities involved drunken drivers or speeding. One in 10 fatalities involved distraction.
“The data tell us that people die when they drive drunk, distracted or drowsy, or if they are speeding or unbuckled,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said. “While there have been enormous improvements in many of these areas, we need to find new solutions to end traffic fatalities.”
