Recent Spike in U.S. Traffic Deaths Reverses 40-Year Trend
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You Should Know Newsletter
You Should Know Newsletter
February 07, 2017
Injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes have always been a major problem on U.S. roadways. But as a nation, we have made steady progress over the past four decades, thanks to education and many safety innovations. Then came reports in 2015 and now 2016 that this trend has been reversed.
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.