NHTSA: Traffic Fatalities Declined Again In Q2 2023

America’s roads once again became less deadly for the fifth consecutive quarter in Q2 2023, according to preliminary information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA.

The latest NHTSA estimates show a 3.3 percent drop year-over-year in the number of people killed in automobile crashes during the second quarter, following another drop in the first quarter.

The fall in fatalities to 19,515 accident deaths during the first six months of 2023 came despite a 2.3 percent year-over-year climb in miles driven. Though Americans drove 35.1 billion miles more in the year’s first half, the number of people killed in accidents per hundred million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fell from 1.31 deaths in H1 2022 to 1.24 deaths in H1 2023.

Nevertheless, traffic deaths are still higher than they were before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. shores in early 2020. Ann Carlson, acting administrator of the NHTSA, says the agency is “encouraged to see traffic fatalities continue to decline from the height of the pandemic.” She added that promoting new vehicle safety technologies will help reach the NHTSA’s “goal of zero fatalities.”

Deaths declined in 29 states during the first half of 2023, while increasing in 21 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico according to the most recent projections.

Among the NHTSA initiatives is a push for universal adoption of automatic emergency braking in new vehicles. These include pedestrian AEB systems. Speed limiters, more money for state highway safety offices, and several other programs are also under consideration as possible ways to reduce fatalities.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked billions for highway safety, with $886 million disbursed to the states in grants during fiscal 2023. Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary, said “we are delivering unprecedented resources to communities across the country to make their streets safer,” stating that the robust funding is “thanks to President Biden.”

Meanwhile, GM autonomous vehicle (AV) subsidiary Cruise has allied with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, an organization with a similar goal of zero traffic fatalities, though with a narrower focus on “no more victims of drunk/drugged driving.”

Cruise touts AVs as a way to reduce traffic fatalities, with a recent study funded by the subsidiary and GM indicating Cruise AV robotaxis are considerably safer than human-driven cabs.

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