NSC Preliminary Findings Show Deaths from Vehicle Crashes in First Half of 2022 Down One Percent from 2021
NSC says that 21,340 people died from traffic crashes in the first half of this year.
- By Alex Saurman
- Aug 24, 2022
New findings from the National Safety Council (NSC) estimate that there was a one percent decrease in deaths from vehicle crashes in the first half of 2022 compared to 2021.
According to a press release, the NSC’s preliminary findings show that 21,340 people died from crashes from January 2022 to June 2022 in the U.S. NSC’s preliminary estimate for the same time period in 2021 was 21,450, only a one percent decrease over one year.
“Traffic violence plagues our communities, and thousands of lives lost each month is simply unacceptable. A one percent decrease only symbolizes a glimmer of hope and serves as confirmation that now is the time to combine proven countermeasures with innovative solutions so we can save lives. The work is far from over,” said Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at NSC in a press release.
Four states saw an over 40 percent increase in deaths in the first half of 2022 compared to 2021: Alaska (41 percent), Delaware (43 percent), Maine (52 percent) and Vermont (43 percent), according to the data.
The states with an over 30 percent improvement in deaths in the same time period include Arizona (40 percent), Montana (35 percent), Rhode Island (56 percent) and South Dakota (32 percent).
In the first half of 2020, 18,533 people died from crashes, indicating a 15 percent increase when comparing 2020 to 2022, according to NSC.
Many states had an over 40 percent increase in deaths from 2020 to 2022: Delaware (62 percent), Hawaii (40 percent), Nevada (45 percent), New Hampshire (44 percent), New Jersey (40 percent) and Vermont (90 percent).
The states with improvements over 20 percent from 2020 to 2022 include Arizona (24 percent), Kansas (21 percent), Montana (21 percent) and Rhode Island (59 percent).
Millions of people drive on the roads every single day, including over 13 million people who work in the transportation industry, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. To learn more about staying safe on the road, visit NSC.org.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.