Traffic fatalities in U.S. inching down after multiyear spike
Annual motor vehicle deaths expected to be fewer than 40,000 for the first time since 2015.
Aug. 22, 2019
Photo: Josh Fisher/Fleet Owner
By Ryan Beene
(Bloomberg) — Motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. fell during the first six months of 2019 in another sign that a three-year uptick in traffic fatalities is waning, according to the nonprofit National Safety Council.
An estimated 18,580 people died in motor vehicle collisions during the first six months of 2019, down 3% compared to the same period last year, the group said in a statement. The group anticipates full-year fatalities will fall below 40,000 deaths for the first time since 2015.
“We cannot accept death as the price of mobility. We urge all drivers to slow down, buckle up, pay attention and drive defensively,” Lorraine Martin, president of the National Safety Council said in a statement.
The organization didn’t offer a theory for why fatalities had declined.
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