WILLIAMSBURG—The increase in roadway fatalities over the last decade reveals a troubling trend. Compared to other high-income nations, highway safety officials say U.S. traffic death numbers are headed in the wrong direction.
“We are not in a good place,” said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. He presented data showing despite decades of progress in reducing fatalities, U.S. crash deaths rose 30% from below 33,000 in 2014 to nearly 43,000 in 2022.
Harkey was the keynote speaker at the 12th annual DRIVE SMART Virginia Distracted Driving Summit in Williamsburg Aug. 7-8. Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is a conference sponsor.
“If you look at the Virginia numbers, they track right alongside national numbers,” he said. “We need to think about why we’re in this position. Is this the norm, or are we the outlier?”
Among 29 high-income countries, the U.S. has the highest per capita crash fatality rate — more than twice the average of the other 28.
“There is no excuse for that,” Harkey said. “Every other country has been able to drive their fatality numbers down.”
Many other countries have been more ambitious with their safety policies in recent decades, he said, especially when it comes to speeding and alcohol.
IIHS recently announced 30×30—a vision to reduce U.S. road fatalities 30% by 2030. IIHS estimates show it’s attainable with the right combination of policy changes.
“It’s very ambitious,” Harkey continued. “We’re not giving up on the ultimate goal of ‘zero’ at all. But we need to change the trajectory we’re on, so we set this target first.”
As a member company of IIHS, Virginia Farm Bureau supports the mission of the organization and will seek opportunities to partner on 30×30 to save lives on Virginia’s roads.
The 30×30 initiative’s focus areas include reducing risky motorist behavior like speeding, impairment, seatbelts and distraction. In one IIHS survey of U.S. drivers, more than half of respondents reported engaging in at least one smartphone-based distraction on most or all trips.
“That’s a scary thought,” Harkey said.
Virginia is one of 19 states that have banned drivers from holding electronic devices. He said these laws that encompass all types of electronic devices and uses beyond texting show promise in reducing crashes.
Anti-crash systems, plus driver-attention and alcohol-detection technologies are on track to be standard safety features in all new vehicles. But Harkey said it will be two decades until those systems are ubiquitous throughout the U.S. fleet.
To address the crisis in the meantime, he said, safety partners should continue to advocate for strong safety policies, spread awareness and build community support.
