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 Estimated Roadway Fatalities in the First Quarter of 2025 Released Today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
(Washington, D.C. | July 10, 2025) The estimated motor vehicle crash fatality numbers released by NHTSA today show a decrease of 6.3% in the first quarter of this year as compared to the same period last year. While this decline is welcome news, it is no time to celebrate. Over 8,000 people are still projected to have died on U.S. roads in just three months. Without swift federal and state action, tens of thousands of people will continue to perish each year on American roadways while millions more are impacted by devastating injuries, emotional trauma and significant financial burdens.
I recently testified before a Congressional committee on the state of NHTSA and motor vehicle safety. In my remarks, I described the dire situation affecting every category of road user in this country and laid out a hopeful path forward rooted in evidence-based solutions. Additionally, Advocates’ 2025 Roadmap to Safety report is a blueprint our elected leaders should use to end the devastating ripple effect traffic crashes impose on families, friends and entire communities. While any reduction in deaths on our roadways is a positive development, so many more lives can be spared.
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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.