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U.S. traffic deaths fell again in 2024

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) annual Fatality Analysis Reporting System counted 39,254 motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2024 — 1,771 fewer than in 2023, a 4.3% decline.

Death counts also move with how much America drives. The chart below shows deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, selected years A line chart on a linear year scale showing the U.S. traffic fatality rate falling from 3.35 in 1975 to 1.19 in 2024, with a pandemic-era rise to 1.38 in 2021. 0.8 1.7 2.7 3.6 pandemic-era rise 3.35 2.08 1.53 1.11 1.08 1.38 1.19 1975 1990 2000 2010 2014 2021 2024
Traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Selected years; 2021 is plotted because the recent rise matters for reading the recovery. Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System annual 2024 overview; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts yearly snapshot (Fatality Analysis Reporting System-based rates).

Related context: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration CrashStats publication 813791 and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety yearly fatality snapshot.

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Worth knowing

  • Absolute deaths remain high versus the 2010s low point; this item is a year-over-year improvement, not a claim that roads are as safe as they can be.
  • Rates depend on vehicle-miles traveled estimates as well as death counts.
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration early estimates can differ slightly from final Fatality Analysis Reporting System annual counts; this item uses the 2024 annual Fatality Analysis Reporting System total.