Motor vehicle deaths

Motor vehicle fatalities reached 14.3 per 100,000 population in 2021, up from 11.9 in 2019. Rates spiked by 8, 6, and 3 percentage points for American Indian, Black, and Hispanic populations, respectively.

Motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 population, U.S.

1913-2021

Sources: CDC/ Wonder and National Safety Council. Notes: Motor-vehicle deaths include all deaths arising from a motor vehicle accident, including pedestrians and bicyclists struck by a motor vehicle, as well as non-traffic motor vehicle deaths occurring in parking lots, private roads, and driveways. Data for 2021 is provisional.

Motor vehicle death rates declined by more than half between 1969 and 2014, falling from 27.7 to 11.1 deaths per 100,000 population. From 2015 to 2019, rates hovered around 12. Then, although travel declined across the world at the start of the pandemic, motor vehicle death rates in the U.S. increased two consecutive years, reaching 14.3 in 2021. Comparatively, peer nations have maintained lower motor vehicle fatality rates, with fewer increases since 2019.^1,2,3

Non-white Americans saw the largest increases in motor vehicle death rates. Black populations saw a 37% increase in motor vehicle deaths per 100,000, with Hispanic populations seeing a 30% increase. In comparison, white and Asian populations had a much smaller increase — 12% and 9%, respectively. American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) populations historically have the highest rate of motor vehicle deaths, seeing a 32% increase from 2019 to 2021 and a rate of 34 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. While studies traditionally point to alcohol and drug abuse as causes of high rates of motor vehicle fatalities, they tend to overlook the historical trauma and mistreatment of AIAN populations that are linked to these “diseases of despair”.^4,5,6,7,8

Though the U.S. has made strides in creating safer motor vehicles and protecting those inside of them, transportation safety experts are concerned that not enough progress has been made to protect pedestrians and cyclists.⁹ When accounting for differing levels of travel by race, studies show that Black and Hispanic Americans who are walking or cycling are more likely to be killed in a traffic fatality than white Americans.¹⁰ This is particularly troubling as the higher risk for these physical activities could limit the health benefits for populations that would benefit the most.¹¹ The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes efforts to enact policies that will improve roadway safety and infrastructure.^12,13 Continued efforts to increase the safety of those inside and outside of vehicles are critical to reversing these trends.

1. “Motor-Vehicle Deaths in the U.S. Compared to the World”. National Safety Council. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/international/motor-vehicle-deaths-in-the-u-s-compared-to-the-world/

2. “The Exceptionally American Problem of Rising Roadway Deaths”. Badger, Parlapiano. The New York Times. November, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/upshot/road-deaths-pedestrians-cyclists.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=US%20News

3. “Road injury crashes, fatalities and injuries”. International Transport Forum. https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ITF_ROAD_ACCIDENTS#

4. “Why Native Americans Are Dying Sooner”. Gounder. Time. October, 2022. https://time.com/6219765/native-americans-life-expectancy/

5. “Examining the Theory of Historical Trauma Among Native Americans”. Brown-Rice. The Professional Counselor. October, 2014. https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/examining-the-theory-of-historical-trauma-among-native-americans/

6. “An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity”. Governors Highway Safety Association. June, 2021. https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/An%20Analysis%20of%20Traffic%20Fatalities%20by%20Race%20and%20Ethnicity_0.pdf

7. “Motor Vehicle Deaths Among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations”. Pollack, Frattaroli, Young, Dana-Sacco, Gielen. Oxford Academic. November, 2011. https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article/34/1/73/495638

8. “Tribal Road Safety: Get the Facts”. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/native/factsheet.html

9. “Race, Class and Traffic Deaths”. Leonhardt. The New York Times. August, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/briefing/traffic-deaths-class-race-covid.html

10. “Disparities in Activity and Traffic Fatalities by Race/Ethnicity”. Raifman, Choma. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. June, 2022. https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(22)00155-6/fulltext

11. “Fact Sheet: Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity”. Russell. Center for American Progress. December, 2010. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fact-sheet-health-disparities-by-race-and-ethnicity/

12. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law/#roadsandbridges

13. “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”. U.S. Department of Transportation. https://www.nhtsa.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law