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Here is a mystery. Why have car accident deaths increased when the amount of driving in the U.S. has decreased? It doesn’t add up.
The National Council on Safety found that 42,060 people were killed in cars in 2020, up from 39,107 in 2019. That is the biggest single-year spike in nearly a century. Meanwhile, the miles driven decreased by 13%.
The data shows that 2021 will be just as bad with a 16% increase in car crash fatalities between January and June alone.
This is a uniquely American problem. Other developed nations have seen a decrease in car fatalities. Officials are calling this a public health emergency in the U.S.
What is it about American driving that is so dangerous? Vox points out that American roads are wider and more designed for speed so drivers do in fact speed. “Speed is the decisive factor in a car crash’s severity.” In other countries with more narrow roadways, drivers are forced to take it slow.
Slow the $%#$ down!
