TAMPA, Fla. — After a double-digit increase in 2021, the number of traffic deaths on U.S. roads remained relatively flat for the first nine months of 2022, according to new data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to NHTSA numbers, an estimated 31,785 people were killed in crashes from January through September 2022, down 0.2% from the same period in 2021. The agency also estimated that fatalities dropped slightly in the third quarter of the year, the second straight quarterly decline after seven quarters of year-over-year increases.
Per NHTSA analysis, compared to the first half of 2021, fatalities decreased:
10% in children younger than 16
10% on urban collector and local roads
9% in vehicle rollover crashes
8% in people ages 16 to 24
7% in crashes involving passengers ejected from a vehicle
7% in unbelted people in passenger vehicles
2% in speeding-related crashes
On the other hand, NHTSA said that compared to the first half of 2021, fatalities increased:
12% on rural interstates
10% in crashes involving at least one large truck
8% among cyclists
5% among motorcyclists
2% among pedestrians
In Florida, the number of traffic deaths dropped slightly from 2,796 in 2021 to 2,762 in 2022. Florida ranked third in the nation in traffic deaths, behind only Texas and California. NHTSA's preliminary numbers also showed the highest traffic death rates in the Deep South along with Texas and its surrounding states.
