Skip to main content

Marginal US road safety improvement for 2018?

US roads have been slightly safer in 2018, according to new data from the National Safety Council (NSC). The research shows that motor-vehicle deaths have decreased in the first five months of 2018.There were 15,280 deaths in motor vehicle related incidents through January and May 2018. This represents a drop of 0.5% from the 15,330 deaths recorded through January and May 2017. However for the period through January and May 2016, the data shows that the rate of motor vehicle related deaths was 9% higher, h
July 19, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
US roads have been slightly safer in 2018, according to new data from the National Safety Council (NSC). The research shows that motor-vehicle deaths have decreased in the first five months of 2018.There were 15,280 deaths in motor vehicle related incidents through January and May 2018. This represents a drop of 0.5% from the 15,330 deaths recorded through January and May 2017. However for the period through January and May 2016, the data shows that the rate of motor vehicle related deaths was 9% higher, highlighting an overall improvement.


The US scores poorly amongst developed nations for its rate of road deaths, with 12.2deaths/100,000 of population in the period through January and May 2018, a drop of 1% from the same period in 2017. The number of injuries from motor vehicle crashes in the first five months of 2018 stood at around 1,742,000, a drop of around 0.5% from the same period in 2017. In all the cost of motor vehicle related deaths, injuries and property damage in the US during the first five months of 2018 was around US$157.7 billion. This represents an increase of some 2% from the figures for same period in 2017.

One point to note is that NSC data is not directly comparable with figures from the 2467 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is because the NSC counts both traffic and nontraffic deaths that occur within a year of the incident, while NHTSA counts  only traffic deaths that occur within 30 days.

The 2016 data comes from the National Center for Health Statistics. All other figures are National Safety Council estimates.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Worrying decline in road safety in US
    July 4, 2016
    There has been a worrying increase in traffic fatalities in the US, according to the latest available information. The data has been released by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showing that traffic fatalities for 2015 were 7.7% higher than for 2014. Road deaths reached 35,200 in 2015, compared with 32,675 in 2014. The data reveals a disquieting trend as the US road fatality rate for 2015 was the highest for seven years. While the total distance travelled by US drivers increase
  • Measures needed to increase awareness of cyclists
    May 4, 2012
    The latest official data shows a continuing improvement in road safety statistics in both France and the UK. However the data also reveals worrying trends in accidents concerning vulnerable road users. Department for Transport figures for 2010 have revealed a 17% drop in road fatalities to 1,850. But 111 pedal cyclists died in 2010, compared with 104 in 2009, with cyclist fatalities in capital London of particular concern. The DfT believes that the severe winter weather, lower traffic in general due to th
  • Australia’s road safety problems are a cause for concern
    January 23, 2019
    The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has highlighted key problems with road safety. According to the ARRB, these issues must be addressed if Australia’s road casualty rate is to be reduced. Road death tolls are being reduced as he latest results show, but more work needs to be done. According to the ARRB, the road death tolls in Victoria dropped 20% for 2018 when compared with the previous year. This is a major improvement, showing the gains made by Victoria’s road agency VicRoads and the state’s Tr
  • Road safety concern for Portugal, Norway, Czech Republic, Bulgaria
    September 11, 2024
    Road safety is seeing worrying standards for Portugal, Norway, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.