U.S. Traffic Deaths Drop to Lowest Level Since 2019

0:00It's April 1st, U.S. News Today starts now, AI-powered, and nationwide. I'm Cory with the story. U.S. traffic deaths dropped last year to the lowest level since 2019, hitting 36,640 fatalities, a 6.7% decline. The fatality rate also dipped to 1.10 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, marking the second lowest in history. This comes after a wild spike during the pandemic when deaths jumped 10.8% in 2021 to over 43,000, the highest since 2005. Pedestrians and cyclists face record highs, too, but now we're seeing the 4th straight year of declines. Experts point to emptier roads early on, with drivers feeling they could speed or drive impaired without cops around, plus more booze and drugs at. Home-fueling risks. The auto safety agency is doubling down on curbing those behaviors before they turn deadly. A recent study pakes crash costs at $30 billion straight to taxpayers,

1:00ballooning to $340 billion for society, and up to $1.37 trillion when factoring in lost quality of life. That's 1.6% of the whole U.S. economy. Congress shipped in $5 billion over five years via the big infrastructure bill to tackle this, and with trends heading down safer roads, could keep saving lives and cash long-term.