The United States has among the highest rates of road fatalities per population worldwide. Possible contributing factors to deaths on the road can include speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and driving while fatigued. Traffic fatalities caused by speeding in the United States have declined since 2008, with less than 10,000 deaths recorded annually over recent years.
Automation for the nation
94 percent of severe automobile crashes are due to human error — but driving safety is taken much more seriously today than in the past, with roughly 90 percent of U.S. drivers wearing their seatbelts while driving in 2020. Over recent years, car manufacturers and developers have striven to reduce car crashes even further with partially and fully automated safety features such as forward collision warnings, lane departure warnings, rearview video systems, and automatic emergency braking. Self-driving vehicles are also set to take to the roads in the future, with car brands such as Toyota, Ford, and GM registering over 350 autonomous driving patents respectively in the United States.
Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020
Characteristic
Fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers
2020
17.01
2019
15.79
2018
16.19
2017
16.63
2016
17.05
2015
16.27
2014
15.29
2013
15.5
2012
15.95
2011
15.33
2010
15.71
2009
16.16
2008
17.96
2007
20.05
2006
21.06
2005
21.7
2004
21.54
2003
21.86
2002
22.1
2001
22.06
2000
22
1999
22.29
1998
22.45
1997
22.99
1996
23.43
1995
23.68
1994
23.21
1993
23.19
1992
22.67
1991
24.56
1990
26.7
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US Department of Transportation. (June 1, 2022). Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/
US Department of Transportation. "Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020." Chart. June 1, 2022. Statista. Accessed December 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/
US Department of Transportation. (2022). Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/
US Department of Transportation. "Fatality Rate per 100,000 Licensed Drivers in The U.S. from 1990 to 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jun 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/
US Department of Transportation, Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/ (last visited December 18, 2024)
Fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020 [Graph], US Department of Transportation, June 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/191660/fatality-rate-per-100000-licensed-drivers-in-the-us-since-1988/
