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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky behavior poses a danger to vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians and pedalcyclists. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention. Distraction occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task […]
T his fact sheet contains information on fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and non-fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) General Estimates System (GES) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS). A change instituted with the release of 2020 data is […]
A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for 2021 shows that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide. This represents an increase of about 10.5 percent as compared to 38,824 fatalities reported in 2020. This also represents the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the highest annual percentage increase in the […]
In 2021, seat belt use in the United States ranged from 72.3 percent in the U.S. Virgin Islands to 97.2 percent in California. Twenty-three States, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands achieved seat belt use rates of 90 percent or higher. These results are from probability-based observational surveys conducted […]
Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) are .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatal crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher is considered to be an alcohol-impaired-driving crash, and fatalities occurring in those crashes are considered to be alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities. The […]
Ford Motor Co. is warning rental car companies and other owners of 2021 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators to park their vehicles outside due to the risk of fire. The automaker has confirmed 16 fires, mostly in vehicles that were unattended. Fourteen of these fires were in rental cars. Until further notice, owners of these […]
Mercedes-Benz USA will conduct a voluntary recall of approximately 292,287 ML-, GL- and R-Class vehicles produced during the 2006-2012 model year period for potentially corroded brake boosters. The corrosion could severely affect braking capability, increasing the risk of a crash. Vehicle owners can visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if […]
This technical report provides an overview of motor vehicle crashes in 2020. There were 38,824 people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roadways during 2020, a 6.8-percent increase from 36,355 fatalities in 2019, or 2,469 more people killed in traffic crashes in 2020. The estimated number of people injured on our roadways decreased […]
The Crash Investigation Sampling System provides a comprehensive national traffic crash database. Data collection is accomplished at 32 geographical sites, called Primary Sampling Units. These data are weighted to represent all police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurring in the United States during the year involving passenger cars, light trucks, and light vans that were towed. This […]
Chrysler (Stellantis) recommends that owners of select Model Year 2017-2018 Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric vehicles park their cars outside and away from homes, even if the vehicle is turned off, until their vehicles have been repaired, due to the risk of fire. Owners should also not charge their vehicles. They should continue to park outside and […]
