Traffic deaths surge 7.7% in 2015

Cheaper gas and a stronger economy were key factors, according to the council, and drivers have been racking up more miles behind the wheel than ever before. US officials cite an increase in vehicle miles traveled, lower gas prices and an improving economy as part of the reason for the increase. It was also the year in which Americans drove 3.1 trillion miles, more than ever before.

That overall rate was significantly outpaced by non-motorist traffic deaths: Bicycle fatalities were up 13 per cent; pedestrian deaths rose 10 per cent, and motorcyclist deaths rose by 9 per cent.

Distracted driving caused 18 percent of all fatal crashes previous year.

Motorcycle deaths have risen in part because of weak state laws on wearing helmets, said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety offices. NHTSA and FHWA are also working closely on the implementation of the new safety performance measures, which require States and metropolitan areas to set targets for reducing deaths among motorized and non-motorized road users. “They include strong laws coupled with highly-visible law enforcement and robust public education campaigns”, Adkins said. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from 32,675 in 2014. Tesla said the crash was the first fatal crash in the more than 130 million miles that the semi-autonomous driving system has been used. The most significant is that an improved economy and low gas prices led to a record 3.1 trillion miles driven past year. In 1966, the fatality rate – measured as deaths per miles driven – was five times higher than today.

State safety officials say the Fourth of July weekend is the deadliest holiday for drunken driving crashes in Minnesota.