People Killed On U.S. Roads Up Substantially

Traffic deaths across the United States increased by 7.2 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, the largest increase in nearly 50 years, as job growth and low gas prices put more people on the road for work and pleasure, according to just-released government data.

A staggering 35,092 people died from crashes on U.S. roadways last year, according to the data from the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Injuries from wrecks increased by 105,000.

That's up from 32,744 in 2014. The last time fatalities jumped by that much percentage-wise was from 1965 to 1966.

The sharp increase in auto deaths ended a downward trend. Since 2005, the number of roadway deaths decreased every year with the exception of 2012, where there was a small increase.

The data also found that from 2014 to 2015:

• Traffic deaths resulting from drivers who were under the influence of alcohol increased by 3.2 percent, from 9,943 to 10,265.
• Traffic deaths involving a distracted driver — someone texting, eating or otherwise not paying full attention to the road — increased by 8.8 percent, from 3,197 to 3,477.
• Fatal crashes increased across every type of vehicle except for drivers of large trucks.
• The number of miles people traveled in a vehicle increased by 3.5 percent, 3,026 billion to 3,131 billion, the largest percentage increase since 1992.
• The number of people injured in traffic accidents increased by 105,000 to more 2.4 million.

At the state level, the largest percentage increase in roadway deaths came in Vermont, where 57 people died in 2015, compared to 44 in 2014, a 29.5 percent increase. The largest percentage reduction in traffic deaths came in New Mexico, where 298 people were killed in 2015 versus 386 in 2014, a 22.8 percent drop. Only 15 states had fewer traffic deaths in 2015 than they did in 2014.

You can read the full 2015 traffic fatalities report for yourself here.

So why is this happening?

An NHTSA press release pegged the increases on two factors: job growth and gas prices.

According to data from the American Automobile Association, the average price for a gallon of gas in America in 2015 was $2.40, a 94-cent decrease from 2014 and the lowest price since 2009. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in January 2014 was 6.6 percent, compared to 5 percent in December 2015.

Lower gas prices plus more people employed means more people on the road, driving both for leisure and for pleasure.

But the increase in miles traveled was just 3.5 percent. Traffic deaths were up 7.2 percent.

To figure out what is causing such a sharp increase, the U.S. government is enlisting the help of the general public, in addition to its own research. The White House has made a trove of data available for download so that computer programmers, tech companies, data analysts and anyone else who may be curious can sift through the nitty-gritty themselves.

“We’re directly soliciting your help to better understand what these data are telling us,” a White House press release said. “Whether you’re a non-profit, a tech company, or just a curious citizen wanting to contribute to the conversation in your local community, we want you to jump in and help us understand what the data are telling us.”

In addition to its own research, the government wants to know how factors such as improving economic conditions, climate change, distracted driving and public health indicators might affect how Americans are getting around in their cars.

Want to dig in for yourself? Click here to access the mass of data.

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