Traffic Was Down In 2020, But Car Crashes Continue To Rise

The National Safety Council has released preliminary data and it does not look good for 2020, but did anything? They stated that as many as 42,060 people were estimated to have died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. Two things are shocking about that statement: it was an 8% increase over 2019 and it happened in a year when people were driving significantly less because of the pandemic.

Biggest Jump In Almost 100 Years

For this preliminary data released by the NSC, the estimated rate of death on the roads in 2020 spiked 24% over the previous 12-month period. This increase in the rate of death is the highest year-over-year jump in 96 years - since 1924.

Motor Vehicle Injuries

On top of the estimated numbers for motor vehicle crash deaths, the National Safety Council also stated an estimated 4.8 million additional roadway users were seriously injured in crashes in 2020. Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council said, “It is tragic that in the U.S., we took cars off the roads and didn’t reap any safety benefits.”

With these rising numbers, the NSC is calling for President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to commit to zero roadway deaths by 2050.

Ups and Downs for Some States

The preliminary data from the NSC also gave us a breakdown for each state and how their numbers compared from a year ago. The estimates show that only nine states saw a drop in deaths in 2020:

• Hawaii (-20%)
• Wyoming (-13%)
• Delaware (-11%)
• Nebraska (-9%)
• Idaho (-7%)
• New Mexico (-4%)
• Alaska (-3%)
• Maine (-1%)
• North Dakota (-1%)

On the flip side of things, eight states showed more than a 15% increase in the estimated number of deaths in 2020:

• District of Columbia (+33%)
• South Dakota (+33%)
• Vermont (+32%)
• Arkansas (+26%)
• Rhode Island (+26%)
• Connecticut (+22%)
• Mississippi (+19%)
• Georgia (+18%)

Double Down on What Works

The Road to Zero Coalition and NSC released guidance in 2018 on what we can do to get the number of deaths down to zero. These life-saving measures include:

• Mandatory ignition locks for convicted drunk drivers and lowering state BAC levels to .05.
• Using a safe system approach to start lowering speed limits, in accordance with roadway design.
• Installation and use of automated enforcement to maintain safe speeds and adherence to traffic lights.
• Creating laws to ban all cell phone use while driving, including hands-free, for all drivers, not just teens. And for states that have existing bans to upgrade the enforcement from secondary to primary.
• Upgrading seat belt laws from secondary to primary enforcement and the laws should extend to every passenger in every seating position in all kinds of vehicles.
• All new drivers under 21 should adhere to a three-tiered licensing system.
• Passing or reinstating motorcycle helmet laws.
• Adopting comprehensive programs for pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

No deaths by 2050 is a lofty goal, but these numbers also show us that something has to be done. Coastline Academy stands by the NSC and this goal, as our mission is to eradicate car crashes by creating safe and confident drivers for life. We do this with personalized customer service, modern technology and professional, well-trained instructors. We hope you will join us in this mission.