Traffic deaths rise 16% in first half of 2021, according to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council.
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.
Impaired driving, speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt were the primary contributors to the overall spike in roadway deaths in 2020.
The blame goes mostly to dangerous driving behaviors — speeding, impaired driving, and distraction — which were widespread on U.S. roads during the pandemic.
The data represents a 4.6% increase when compared to the same period of time of January 2019 to September 2019.
The 2020 study looked at various subcategories such as age, land use, and roadway function class, as compared to 2019.
The U.S. experienced a 20% jump for the estimated milage death rate between January and June 2020 compared to the same six-month period in 2019.
If available technology blocked drivers with any alcohol in their blood from driving, requiring them for those with alcohol-impaired driving convictions would save 986 lives. Requiring them for fleet vehicles would save 465 lives.
Further, employers are sending employees back to work, meaning commutes are resuming – and motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of workplace deaths.
Estimates show a year-over-year 36.6% jump in fatality rates per miles driven in April, in spite of an 18% drop in the total number of roadway deaths compared to April 2019.
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