Ideally, the number of people who die in vehicle crashes in the United States would fall each year. That is the goal of a lot of all of the new safety technology, and it is certainly the goal of those who make ad enforce traffic laws.
For many years, this has been happening. The 1970s saw some years with more than 50,000 crash-related deaths. However, the last two years have shown a trend that is very concerning, and officials have called it a crisis.
Last year is on track to be worse than 2020
The first indication that things were becoming more dangerous came in 2020, when the total number of fatalities went up. This happened despite lower traffic levels and far less travel on the whole.
According to estimates based on government data, that is not going to change for 2021. The full year’s data has not been collected yet. However, during the first half of the year, more than 20,000 people died as the result of crashes.
These numbers were 18.4% higher than the same months of the previous year. We are on pace to have more than 40,000 deaths during the year, and that is certainly a reversal of the trends after a number of years closer to 35,000 deaths. You have to go back all the way to 2006 to find a larger number of projected fatalities.
Have you lost a loved one this year?
It’s clear that the roads are only getting more dangerous. If you have lost a loved one this year, or if you’ve been involved in an accident and suffered serious injuries, you need to know about all of your legal options.