Fleet drivers may be experiencing less congestion on the roadways in 2020 and even now, but roadway deaths shot up 7.2% in 2020 over 2019.
Experts say speeding, impaired driving, and distracted driving were widespread on U.S. roads during the pandemic.
The report discusses possible countermeasures that could help reduce crashes associated with stopped vehicles.
Impaired driving, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt were the primary contributors to the overall spike in roadway deaths in 2020.
Despite many fewer vehicle miles driven, traffic deaths are on pace with 2019 levels.
The National Safety Council calls on federal leadership to reduce deaths in vehicle crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that traffic fatalities fell 2% in 2019, and early 2020 estimates show another 2% decline, though vehicle miles traveled this year dropped 16.6% year-over-year.
Injury patterns were consistent with earlier, national studies in showing that SUVs were more likely than cars to throw pedestrians forward and nearly twice as likely to cause severe hip and thigh injuries.
Motor vehicle crashes and falls remained the leading causes of preventable death on the job in 2018, as preventable and unintentional workplace deaths continue their rise in recent years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Highway fatality numbers are down overall except in cases involving large trucks. According to the latest Department of Transportation statistics, there were 673 fewer highway deaths in 2017 than in 2016.
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