Pedestrian Traffic Deaths Projected To Have Decreased in First Half of 2024: NHTSA Report

Federal highway safety officials indicate that the number of traffic deaths appear to be declining in almost every focus area and subcategory this year.

According to new projections, it appears that the number of traffic deaths throughout different priority areas for federal safety officials dropped during the first half of 2024, with the second-quarter decline marking the ninth straight quarterly drop in fatalities linked to traffic accidents across the U.S.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released early estimates on 2024 traffic deaths last month, indicating that the number of fatalities on U.S. roadways decreased in several key areas that the agency focuses on, including pedestrian accidents, speeding-related auto accidents, rollover accidents, and crashes involving unbuckled occupants, as well as in nearly all other subcategories.

According to the report, titled Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories Through June 2024, the subcategories with the highest decline in deaths compared to the first half of 2023 included:

• Out-of-state travel—down 12%
• Ejected passengers—down 9%
• Urban interstates—down 8%

To compile the estimates, NHTSA researchers used early notification (EN) data, monthly fatality counts (MFC) and information from the fatality analysis reporting system (FARS), which includes information about crashes from January through June 2024.

According to the findings, traffic deaths in the first half of 2024 declined by 3.2% compared to the same period in 2023. There were an estimated 1.17 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2024, which is down from the estimated 1.21 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the same 2023 period.

The NHTSA attributes part of the success in declined traffic deaths this year to its National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), which was published in 2022, to address the national crisis in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on American roads.

The NRSS received funding through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the “Safe Streets and Roads for All” program, which has supported projects in over 1,600 communities, affecting approximately 75% of the U.S. population. On November 15, an additional $172 million in grants was provided to 257 communities.

Since January 2021, the NHTSA has finalized a significant number of safety initiatives aimed at reducing the number of traffic deaths in the U.S., including new requirements for passenger cars and trucks to be equipped with automatic emergency braking systems by 2029.

“We are encouraged by the declines estimated in these key categories, but know we still have more work to do to make our roads safer for everyone,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said in a statement released together with the new estimates. “We will use every tool we have to save lives, reduce injuries and prevent risky driving behaviors.”

Steady Decline in Traffic Fatalities

The new report confirms findings from earlier projections on car accident deaths released in September 2024, which also indicated that there was a decline throughout the first half of this year.

Another report released by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in September 2024 also showed a significant drop in the number of pedestrian traffic fatalities for the prior year, marking the first annual decline since 2020. The GHSA focused its strategy on implementing the Safe System approach, which focuses on building a safer environment for pedestrians.

Officials indicate that the successes outlined in these reports support the strategies that have been implemented over the past few years to reduce traffic fatalities and improve overall road safety.