The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its preliminary report for the motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States last year. Even though the numbers show a marginal decrease of around 0.3 percent compared to 2021, things are not looking good overall. There are some positive signs worth talking about, though. But first, let’s see the dry statistics.
An estimated 42,795 people died in crashes in 2022 versus 42,939 the prior year. Bear in mind this isn’t the final data as the report is based on preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other sources. The numbers also reveal the fourth quarter of 2022 represented the third straight quarterly decline in fatalities after 7 consecutive quarters of year-to-year increases in fatalities.
Data for the fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) shows the rate for 2022 decreased to 1.35 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.37 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2021. Also worth mentioning is that 27 states are estimated to have had decreases in fatalities last year.
A look back at the previous years shows the pandemic 2020 brought increased fatalities and fatality rate per 100 million VMT, a trend which also continued in 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. Again, the NHTSA still hasn’t published the final files for 2021 and 2022, which is expected to happen later this year. All the numbers above are preliminary estimations based on the available data, which will be updated with information from police crash reports and other sources.
Check out the source link below for a more detailed analysis of the 2021 and 2022 fatalities in the United States. The NHTSA’s report also includes a few tables and charts showing how fatality rates in the country have changed since the early 1980s.
