US traffic deaths fall in first half of 2026, lowest rate since 2014

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) – US traffic deaths fell in the first half of this year to the lowest rate since 2014, the government said on Tuesday, retreating from a spike ​during the 2020 COVID pandemic and several years in which road deaths remained elevated.

This year is on pace to be the fifth straight year of declines, according to the National ‌Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said traffic deaths dropped 2.5% to 16,750 in the first half of the year. It was the lowest number since 2015 and down from 17,175 in the same period last year. 

The fatality rate fell to 1.02 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled and the number of deaths fell to the lowest number since 2015.

Full-year traffic deaths for 2025 fell to the lowest number since 2019 and the fatality rate fell to 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the ​second-lowest yearly figure in US history, NHTSA said.

Deaths fell 5% in the first three months of 2026 but just 0.2% in the second three months.

One area of concern remains bicyclist deaths, which rose 4% to 1,148 last year. In 2023, bicyclist deaths hit their highest figure in more than four decades.

US ⁠traffic deaths jumped 10.8% in 2021 to 43,230, the most ​in a single year since 2005.

As US roads became less crowded during the pandemic, some motorists perceived police as less likely to issue tickets, experts said, resulting in riskier driving. Some drivers were also more ​likely to drive ​while being impaired ⁠by alcohol or drugs consumed at home during the pandemic.

The US fatality rate rose much higher than ​for other developed nations during the pandemic.

A 2023 NHTSA study found crashes directly cost taxpayers $30 billion, and ⁠society ​as a whole $340 billion. When quality-of-life valuations ​were included, the total cost to society ran to $1.37 trillion.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)