For the past 40 years, the grim death toll from crashes on America’s roadways has been on a downward trend. But we hit a major roadblock in 2015 when the number of people lost in crashes jumped 7.2 percent from 2014, the largest percentage increase in 50 years. Preliminary reports for 2016 look even worse. You should know what’s driving this dangerous u-turn in highway safety and how you can better protect yourself and those you care about most.