2014 Traffic Fatalities: Lower Number of Deaths, Lowest Fatality Rate On Record - The Car Connection
Though final stats on traffic fatalities for 2014 won't be available until later this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has already issued a preliminary report that shows some encouraging trends. However, parts of the country still have plenty of room for improvement. The good news is, NHTSA projects a slight year-over-year decline in the total number of roadway fatalities. In 2014, NHTSA projects that number to slip to 32,675, a dip of 0. 1 percent. That rate is determined by comparing the total number of miles driven on U. S. roads with the number of deaths. In 2013, NHTSA says that 1. 09 people died for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the U. S. In 2014, the number is projected to fall to 1. 08 -- which may not seem substantial, but in figures like this, every tiny point counts. The decline is due not only to the small dip in fatalities, but also to the fact that traffic surged in the U. S. last year: all told, Americans put about 27. 3 billion additional miles on their odometers in 2014. That said, it's not all good... Portions of the Midwest, in particular, have some improving to do. The region containing Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming had the highest projected increase in fatalities for 2014: nine percent. Source: www.thecarconnection.com
