
US sees 18.4% rise in traffic fatalities in first half of 2021, largest 6-month increase on record
Fox News
More than 20,000 people died in car accidents throughout the United States in the first six months of 2021, an 18.4% increase over the same time period last year, according to the Department of Transportation.
Vehicle miles traveled jumped about 13% to 173.1 billion miles, which may explain some of the increase in traffic fatalities, but the DOT also said that "incidents of speeding and traveling without a seat belt remain higher than during pre-pandemic times."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that driving patterns and behaviors have "changed significantly" since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in early 2020.
"Of the drivers who remained on the roads, some engaged in riskier behavior, including speeding, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs," the NHTSA's Office of Behavioral Safety Research wrote in a recently released report.