On the Dash:
- NHTSA found that roadway fatalities in the United States fell by 8.2% during the first half of 2025.
- The decline continues the trend of declining road fatalities after a post-pandemic surge.
- Despite vehicle miles increasing by 1.2 billion, the fatality rate per 100 million miles dropped to 1.06, down 8.6% year-over-year.
U.S. roadway fatalities fell in the first half of 2025 by 8.2% despite an increase in vehicle miles traveled, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is the largest first-half decrease since 2008.
There were 17,140 fatalities from January 2025 through June 2025, a drop from 18,680 deaths during the same time period in 2024. Despite vehicle miles traveled increasing by 12.1 billion miles, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled dropped to 1.06, down 8.6% from 1.16 year-over-year, the lowest mid-year rate since 2014.
“These preliminary figures are encouraging and reflect NHTSA’s close collaboration with state and local partners, especially law enforcement, to improve safety on our roads,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser stated, “But even as we see progress, these numbers are far too high, and we remain focused on reducing traffic fatalities even further.”
The mid-year rate continues a trend of falling road fatalities after a sharp surge following the pandemic. In 2021, 43,230 people died in motor vehicle crashes, including 7,388 pedestrians, the highest number since 2005.
Based on the trends, NHTSA projects that 38 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, will continue to see reduced traffic deaths based on the data. Eleven states will likely see increases, and one state will remain unchanged.
