Concern at high US crashes

There is concern at the high US road crash rate.
By MJ Woof September 30, 2020 Read time: 1 min
The US has a worrying rate of road crashes – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
Preliminary data suggests an increase in road deaths in the US for the first six months of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. The estimates point to an increase in fatalities linked to the use of vehicles of 20%.

This increase in road deaths comes in spite of a 17% drop in the total distance driven, a fall caused by the global pandemic.

The data comes from the National Safety Council (NSC). More research has to be carried out to reveal the cause of the jump in fatalities linked to the use of motor vehicles.

However, the NSC has previously pointed out that driver distraction is an increasing problem for US drivers. The use of smart phones at the wheel is a particular issue according to the NSC, and while hands-free equipment may be legal, research shows it is not safe to use.

A report from the NSC, Understanding Driver Distraction, reveals that “electronic devices are visually, manually and, most of all, cognitively distracting to drivers.” In addition, this report states, “…the safest option is to completely eliminate driver use of cell phones and interactive, in-vehicle infotainment systems.”
Highway & Network Management

Related Content

  • Kenya seeing gain in road safety?
    May 17, 2018
    Newly available crash data suggests an improvement in road safety in Kenya. In the period from January 1st to May 14th 2018, there were 1,095 traffic incidents, compared with 1,139 for the same period in 2017. The number of people being killed or seriously injured also dropped to 4,193, compared with 4,676 for the same period in the previous year. The figures were released by Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority, which said that primary factors involved in crashes included driving under the influ
    Read More
  • Kenya seeing gain in road safety?
    May 18, 2018
    Newly available crash data suggests an improvement in road safety in Kenya. In the period from January 1st to May 14th 2018, there were 1,095 traffic incidents, compared with 1,139 for the same period in 2017. The number of people being killed or seriously injured also dropped to 4,193, compared with 4,676 for the same period in the previous year. The figures were released by Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority, which said that primary factors involved in crashes included driving under the influ
    Read More
  • Risk for elderly on Japanese roads
    January 7, 2016
    Japan’s National Police Agency has revealed that the country’s road death figures increased slightly in 2015 compared with 2014. Total road fatalities for Japan in 2015 stood at 4,117, an increase of 0.1% from the previous year. There were 536,789 crashes in Japan during 2015, which injured 665,126 people. Of particular concern is the data showing that traffic deaths for those aged 65 or over rose by 2.5% to 2,247 in all, a worrying 54.6% of the total road fatality figure. Official information has not so fa
    Read More
  • Poor pedestrian safety in the US
    October 5, 2018
    The US road network features poor pedestrian safety, a problem the authorities are struggling to tackle. According to data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,977 pedestrians died on US roads in 2017. Of concern is that this is the second highest figure since 1990, with 2016 having seen the peak with a figure 2% higher. Worryingly, pedestrian deaths are some 46% higher than they were in 2009. Of note too is that road deaths increased by 3% for occupants of SUVs and by
    Read More

Highlighted Content