3 Million Traffic Deaths and Growing

Three million people died in traffic crashes in the U.S. in the first century of auto travel, from 1899 to 1998. Beginning with the first reported traffic victim in 1899, it took just over 50 years for the first one million people to die. Tragically, one million more people have been killed in traffic crashes during each quarter century since. At the current level of reported annual fatalities, the U.S. will suffer 4 million traffic deaths in this century. Increasing seat belt use, designing safer vehicles to prevent rollovers and roof crush, reducing impaired driving and improving truck safety would all reap tremendous lifesaving benefits. We know what needs to be done to reverse this trend but we lack leadership from our elected and government officials. As the Supreme Court stated in 1957, "the increasing slaughter on our highways, most of which should be avoidable, now reaches the astounding figures only heard of on the battlefield." Breithaupt v. Abram, 352 U.S. 432 (1957).

Click here to view a chart of traffic fatalities from 1899-2004