Traffic deaths continue to fall, with the nation logging seven straight quarterly declines, federal officials said.
Yet about 41,000 people died on U.S. roadways in 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported April 1.
The report came as the NHTSA started a new push for awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. The rebranded “Put the Phone Away or Pay” campaign targets drivers aged 18 to 34, who are more likely to die in distraction-related crashes than any other age group.
NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said distracted driving continued to be a major factor in fatalities, with about 3,300 people killed in crashes linked to distraction in 2022. More than 289,000 were injured. “Distracted driving can cost you in fines — or even cost your life or the life of someone else on the road,” Shulman said.
About a fifth of those killed in distracted driving crashes were pedestrians, bicyclists and others outside a vehicle, Shulman reported. In 2022, 621 vulnerable road users were killed in distraction-affected traffic crashes. Despite overall declines, vulnerable road user fatality rates are increasing, and distracted driving is a contributing factor to the increase in fatalities.
The NHTSA report cited a “marked increase” in fatalities during the Covid-19 pandemic, which continued into early 2022 and was followed by the series of quarters with decreases.
The estimated 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023 was a decrease of about 3.6 percent compared with 42,514 fatalities reported to have occurred in 2022. Vehicle miles traveled in 2023 were up about 2.1 percent.
35 states were projected to have decreases in fatalities in 2023.
The NHTSA’s final file for 2022 as well as the annual report for 2023 will be available in the early part of 2025.
