Traffic deaths fell slightly in 2017 after 2-year spike
DETROIT — Traffic deaths on U.S. roads fell slightly in 2017 after two straight years of big increases, but a leading safety organization that compiled the numbers says it’s no cause for celebration.
The National Safety Council on Thursday estimated that 40,100 people were killed in traffic crashes last year, down just under 1 per cent from the 2016 total of 40,327. The group said it’s too early to tell whether the small decline means a downward trend after a two-year spike in deaths that was blamed largely on people driving more miles as the economy improved as well as an increase in distracted driving.
“We’re treading water, essentially,” said council spokeswoman Maureen Vogel. “We’re not making progress. This is the second year in a row we’re seeing over 40,000 people killed in this country on the roadways.”
Fatalities rose 7 per cent in 2016, on top of a 7 per cent increase from 2014 to 2015, the steepest two-year increase in over 50 years, according to the council, which gets its data from states. Prior to 2016, annual deaths had not hit 40,000 since 2007, the year before the economy tanked.