Media Contact: Shane Austin,
saustin@saferoads.org
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on 2024 Final and 2025 Early Estimates of Traffic Crash Fatality and Injury Data Released Today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
(Washington, D.C. | April 1, 2026) It is encouraging that the final traffic safety data released today by NHTSA show fatalities and injuries decreased in 2024. Yet, 39,254 people were killed and 2.42 million more were injured in motor vehicle crashes that year. Injuries decreased only slightly in 2024 after increasing in 2023. The lack of significant progress on reducing injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes is alarming and requires urgent action. The early estimates for 2025 also show a continued downturn in crash-related deaths but are devastatingly high at 36,640. Federal and state leaders must advance proven solutions to address this public health crisis.
Congress is in the process of considering reauthorization of the surface transportation bill. Every surface transportation reauthorization bill in recent history has included significant safety advances, and this one must as well. Advocates supports:
- Swift compliance with the automatic emergency braking (AEB) standards and improving them to detect bicycle and motorcycle riders;
- Requirements for driver support systems to ensure an aware and capable driver is behind the wheel and intelligent speed assistance (ISA) to adhere to safe speeds;
- Action to advance rulemaking for impaired driving prevention technology; and,
- Effective incentives for states to upgrade their traffic safety laws and funding so localities can improve the safety of their roadways.
See our Safety Scorecard on bills recently considered by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and our one-pager on concerns with the SELF DRIVE Act and the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act.
As more vehicles are equipped with varying levels of automated driving systems (ADS), including fully autonomous vehicles (AVs), a cohesive national policy which establishes commonsense minimum safety standards, requires comprehensive data collection and addresses cybersecurity concerns, among other issues, is needed to ensure these vehicles are safe.
As we detail in our 2026 Roadmap to Safety report, states can and should make numerous improvements in their laws and policies now to make roadways safer. They include:
- Enactment of primary enforcement all-occupant seat belt, child passenger safety and all-rider motorcycle helmet laws;
- Comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs for teens and young adult novice drivers;
- All-offender ignition interlock device (IID) programs for those convicted of alcohol-impaired driving offenses;
- Comprehensive laws to deter distracted driving; and,
- Authorization and use of automated safety cameras for speeding and red light running enforcement.
Also, more states should join Utah and approximately 100 countries in setting the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) while driving limit at .05 percent to reduce drunk driving related tragedies. To address the consistently high number of speeding-related crashes, states should join D.C., Virginia and Washington State in enacting ISA programs for those convicted of certain speeding or reckless driving offenses, often referred to as “super speeders.”
Motor vehicle crash deaths, injuries and related high costs are preventable. Proven safety solutions are known and available. We must not settle for only incremental improvement when sweeping reductions are needed and attainable.
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About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.