An official website of the United States government.
Here's how you know
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.
This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.
All states and the District of Columbia have “Move Over” laws—which require drivers to change lanes, slow down, or both, when approaching certain vehicles stopped on the roadside with flashing warning lights. States often use road signs and social media to inform the public of these laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration supports states’ […]
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has been examining topics related to posted speed limits and speeding since 2017 and has published several documents thus far that described practices for setting posted speed limits in the U.S.; the impact of speed increases on driver safety from vehicle crash tests; and traffic fatalities in relation to […]
This fact sheet reports data on traffic fatalities by race and ethnicity, which might help develop countermeasures for those at risk. The term “race-ethnicity” is used to refer to the combined classification of race and ethnicity data. It also uses race-ethnicity categories based on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 1997 Guidelines on Race […]
This report was prepared in accordance with Section 25025 (Drug-Impaired Driving Data Collection) of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), Pub. L. 117-58. The report summarizes what is known about the collection of drug-impaired driving data and its reporting to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The report describes the FARS data collection process […]
New and emerging sources of data generated from travelers using mobile devices, vehicles, infrastructure, and other sources provide agencies with opportunities to change how they manage traffic and their transportation systems. These sources of data offer agencies an incentive to enhance or develop the capabilities of their transportation management systems to collect, compile, save, use, […]
Impaired driving continues to be a significant public health and public safety problem in the United States. In 2021 some 30 percent of the 42,915 traffic fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers (drivers with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 grams per deciliter or higher). In addition, there has been a significant increase in drug-impaired driving and […]
A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for 2023 shows an estimated 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a decrease of about 3.6 percent as compared to 42,514 fatalities reported to have occurred in 2022. The fourth quarter of 2023 represents the seventh consecutive quarterly decline in fatalities beginning with the second quarter of […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky driving behavior poses a danger not only to vehicle occupants but pedestrians and pedalcyclists as well. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention that occurs when drivers divert attention from the […]
Speeding is a significant safety concern and has contributed to almost one-third of road fatalities in the past 20 years. This research investigated whether changing to higher posted speed limits on Interstates can cause spillover effects, or a systemic propagation of speeding behaviors that results in more crashes at nearby road segments. Findings presented in […]
Our Roads, Our Safety Week (May 5-11, 2024) is a national, annual safety observance dedicated to raising awareness on how to share the road safely with large trucks and buses. Together with the larger safety community, FMCSA is committed to sharing safety tips, resources, and materials that help improve road safety and reach zero roadway deaths. […]