The roadway safety world was optimistic that 2021 crash numbers would show improvement over the previous year. In 2020, with the pandemic at its peak and people ordered to stay at home, vehicles miles traveled (VMT) was lower than ever. With less people on the road, analysts hopes collisions  would be also reduce. In fact, the opposite happened - crashes spiked dramatically nationwide, raising serious concerns over the sudden increase in risks on American roads.

NHTSA recently released early estimates data for 2021, and the new figures unfortunately confirm that the rate of collisions continues to increase at a record rate. The first half of 2021 shows the largest six-month increase ever recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting Systems  (FARS) history. An estimated 20,150 people died in motor vehicle crashes (MVC) in the first half of 2021, an 18.4% increase over 2020. Keep in mind that these numbers do not mention injuries.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg commented on this alarming trend. “We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America,” said Buttigieg. "Every roadway crash places risk for everyone else on the roadway and vulnerable road users."

HAAS Alert applauds Secretary Buttigieg and the USDOT for creating the first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy to identify action steps to save lives on our roads. It is key that everyone is encouraged to join in and be a part of this strategy in addressing roadway safety solutions. Embracing partnerships and innovative thinking is critical to progress in this area. Doing things the way they have always been done will yield the same results. Embracing new endeavors and new technologies will be key to addressing this national challenge and gives us an opportunity to make transportation safer and smarter for everyone.  

Learn more below how Safety Cloud® is protecting roadway workers and motorists nationwide.

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