When the Covid-19 Pandemic came around, it was expected that there would be a decline in fatalities due to road accidents in the future as people would be going out less. However, it was soon identified that the hypothesis was incorrect, and an increase in the number of road traffic accidents and deaths was recorded in the years 2020 and 2021.
Many factors could have led to the surge in traffic accident deaths. An increase in rash and dangerous driving was noted once people started going out again.
According to Anchorage motorcycle accident lawyer Daniel Libbey of Libbey Law Offices, LLC , “People were stuck in their homes for quite some time and could not go out for many recreational activities. Once people started going out, they were met with empty roads and felt this sense of freedom that might have led to increased speeding and reckless driving.”
Statistics for Motor Vehicle Accident Deaths in the United States
The National Highway Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey stated that in 2019, 36,096 individuals died in road crashes in the United States. In 2020, their reports showed a spike from 2019 to 2020, and 38,824 fatalities occurred due to road traffic accidents 2020 nationwide.
This trend continued within 2021, too, and in the first half of 2021, 20,160 deaths occurred due to road traffic accidents. The highest number of accidents in the first half of a year in the past 15 years was recorded in the U.S.
10 States with the Fewest Motor Vehicle Fatalities and Their Statistics in 2021
1. Minnesota
In 2020 Minnesota had 395 motor vehicle deaths. This number increased to 497 in 2021. There was a 26% increase from 2020 to 2021. The number of deaths per 100 thousand people was 8.7 deaths, making it one of the states with lower death rates.
2. Alaska
In 2021 there were 64 motor vehicle fatalities in Alaska. This means there were 8.7 deaths per 100 thousand people. In Alaska, a reduction in fatalities was noted from 2020 to 2021. There were 65 deaths in 2020, hence a decrease of 2%.
3. New Hampshire
New Hampshire had a 10% increase in motor vehicle fatalities from 2020 to 2021. There were 108 deaths in 2020 and 119 in 2021. There were 8.6 deaths per hundred thousand people in 2021.
4. Washington
Washington had a whopping 18% increase from 2020 to 2021. However, the average number of deaths in road traffic accidents per hundred thousand people was 8.3 in 2021. the total number of motor vehicle deaths in 2020 was 546 and 643 in 2021.
5. New Jersey
In 2021 there were 690 motor vehicle deaths in New Jersey, making an average of 7.4 deaths per 100 thousand people. In 2020 motor vehicle deaths were 587, which means there was approximately an 18% rise from 2020 to 2021.
6. Hawaii
Hawaii had 94 road traffic accident deaths in 2021, and the average was 6.5 deaths per 100 thousand. However, there was a 9% rise in road traffic accident deaths from 2020, which saw 86 deaths.
7. Massachusetts
Massachusetts had an alarming increase of 21% from 2020 to 2021. In 2020, there were 342 deaths in motor vehicle accidents. In 2021, the number rose to 414, making the average 5.9 deaths per hundred thousand people in Massachusetts.
8. Rhode Island
Rhode Island saw a 12% decline in the fatalities in vehicle accidents. In 2020, there were 73 deaths in accidents, and in 2021, the number dropped to 64. The average number of deaths per hundred thousand people in Rhode Island was 5.8.
9. Washington DC
In 2021 there were 39 motor vehicle deaths in Washington, making the average 5.8 deaths per 100 thousand in Washington D.C. There was an 8% hike in fatal accidents from 2020, with 36 deaths.
10. New York
In New York, the lowest number of road accident deaths per 100 thousand people in 2021 was recorded, at 5.3 deaths per 100 thousand. However, it did see a hike of 9% in the number of traffic deaths from 2020 to 2021. There were 963 deaths in 2020 and 1054 deaths in 2021.
