America’s roads are finally getting safer. Traffic deaths fell to their lowest level since 2020 last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
It’s the second straight year of declines after traffic deaths spiked during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency estimates that 39,345 Americans died in traffic accidents in 2024, 3.8% fewer than in 2023. It “marks the first time since 2020 that the number of fatalities fell below 40,000,” NHTSA reports.
Fatalities have now declined for 11 consecutive quarters, the agency says.
NHTSA has proposed several steps that could further reduce accidents in recent years. The agency will mandate automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems after 2029. Automakers now include an AEB system on nearly every new car sold, but a NHTSA rule would allow the government to test the systems to ensure they’re as effective as advertised.
A recent law could require Breathalyzer-like technology in all new cars as soon as 2026. A more extreme proposal, not yet part of any law, would require automakers to build in speed governors that prevent speeding.
However, auto safety technology may have improved so much that safer cars are no longer the key to safer roads.
In recent decades, America has made less progress on road safety than most comparably developed countries. Researchers have blamed everything from cell phone distractions to poor lighting and drug use for the problem.