Auto crash deaths up 17.1% last year, and not because 2020 traffic was down

The latest stats on Connecticut auto crashes finds that in the first nine months of 2021 there were 253 deaths compared to 216 in 2020, an increase of 17.1%. Nationally deaths from car crashes in 2021’s first nine months were 31,720, up 12% from those months in 2020. But it’s not because deaths were down in 2020 due to COVID lockdowns. Nationally, although Americans did drive less in 2020, the number of deaths per million miles travelled rose from 1.10 in 2019 to 1.35 in 2020. These rates are higher than any increase since the NHTSA began recording car crash deaths in 1979.

NHTSA called for lower speed limits, better safety standards in vehicles, and safer road designs with funds from the new infrastructure law.