US roadway deaths rise at a record pace

The most dangerous way to travel in the US became even more deadly during the coronavirus pandemic. Roadway deaths soared at the highest rate in recorded history. The Transportation Department recently announced a multipronged plan to make roads, drivers and cars safer.

Road safety advocates say the numbers match their experience along Maryland Route 210, a six-lane, largely straight stretch with busy business and residential intersections south of the nation's capital. It's called Indian Head Highway, but some call it "the highway of death," a nod to dozens of fatal accidents over the past decade.

"This is the riskiest thing that people do: Drive on these highways," Ron Weiss, a military veteran who advocates for reducing collisions on this roadway, told CNN. "I want to come home to my family. I want my kids to come home, my wife to come home safe."