The US is making only slow progress with regard to road safety. During 2017 there were 40,100 road deaths, according to the National Safety Council. This is the second year that deaths from motor vehicle crashes have topped 40,000. There has been a slight improvement for 2017 from 2016 with road deaths dropping 1%. However 2016 was a poor year for road safety, with a 6% gain in road deaths over 2015. This means that the figures for 2017 represent a 6% increase in road deaths from two years before in 2015.
It is worth noting though that the figures only account for public roads, with the NHTSA not collating data for fatal incidents in driveways, parking areas or on private roads. This means that the death rate from motor vehicle incidents is actually higher still.
Data from the National Safety Council shows that excessive speeds and alcohol count as two of the major factors in road deaths. And around 50% of road deaths involve vehicle occupants not wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact, a worrying reminder that some people will not even take this most basic step in order to care of themselves.
