The Roadway Safety Problem
Almost 95% of people who die using our Nation’s transportation networks are killed on our streets, roads, and highways, and this threat to our safety is getting worse. Read the National Roadway Safety Strategy to learn about what U.S. DOT is doing to address this crisis.
More than 370,000 people died in transportation incidents over the last decade (2011-2020) in the United States. More than 350,000 of them died on our roads.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
In 2020, an estimated 38,680 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, of which an estimated 6,236 were people walking. In the first six months of 2021, an estimated 20,160 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, up an alarming 18.4% over 2020. That is the largest number of projected fatalities for January to June since 2006.2 Millions more are injured – sometimes permanently – each year.
Roadway fatalities and the fatality rate declined consistently for 30 years, but progress has stalled over the last decade and went in the wrong direction in 2020.

Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teenagers in America, and disproportionately impact people who are Black and American Indian. The rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has not substantially improved over the last 10 years, and increased significantly in 2020.
38,680 people died on America’s roads in 20203
Compared to 2019, fatalities increased:
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Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System
1NHTSA: Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories in 2020
2NHTSA: Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (January–June) of 2021
3NHTSA: Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories in 2020