Skip to main content

US sees safer roads in 2019

The US has benefited from safer roads in 2019.
By MJ Woof April 16, 2020 Read time: 1 min
The US has seen a drop in road crashes during 2019 - image © courtesy of Mike Woof

Road safety has seen a slight improvement in the US during 2019 compared with 2018. According to data from the National Safety Council (NSC), fatalities from road crashes in 2019 dropped 2% to 38,800 when compared to data from the previous year.

This shows a continuing drop in road deaths in the US. In 2018, there were 39,404 road related fatalities on US roads, a drop from the 40,231 deaths recorded for 2017.

Meanwhile, the number of road deaths/population is also dropping. In 2019 there were 11.8 deaths/100,000 of population, again a drop of 2% compared to the figure for 2018. However the number of road deaths/distance travelled has remained broadly the same in 2019 as for 2018.

Overall however the US performs poorly when compared with other developed nations in regard to road safety. Sweden and Norway have amongst the best road safety records of any nations in the world.

Related Content

  • Concern over poor US road safety
    September 20, 2021
    There is growing concern over poor US road safety.
  • Safety gains on Europe’s roads with lower KSI rates
    February 19, 2014
    Better road safety is helping to cut KSI rates right across the EC - Mike Woof writes Road safety continues to improve in Europe, with official statistics for 2012 showing a drop in fatalities of 2,661 compared with the figures for 2011. The latest data from Pan-European police body TISPOL shows an encouraging trend towards better road safety. This highlights safety improvements right across the EU. In 2012, a total of 27,700 people were killed in road crashes in the European Union’s 27 member states, eq
  • Reduced road casualty rates for EU 27 nations
    December 5, 2013
    Road safety continues to improve in Europe, with official statistics for 2012 showing a drop in fatalities of 2,661 compared with the figures for 2011. The latest data from Pan-European police body TISPOL shows an encouraging trend towards better road safety, highlighting improvements right across the EU. In 2012, a total of 27,700 people were killed in road crashes in the European Union’s 27 member states, equivalent to 55 people/million inhabitants. This was the lowest road fatality rate so far recorded s
  • Safer Swiss roads in 2019
    April 1, 2020
    Switzerland’s roads became safer in 2019.