Road to Zero Statement on NHTSA Preliminary Data Showing Decline in Motor Vehicle Deaths

Washington, D.C. May 5m 2020; The Road to Zero Coalition is encouraged by preliminary estimates released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing that in 2019 motor vehicle deaths declined slightly. After a sustained period of rising fatalities, it is promising to see the uptick in deaths ebbing,possibly signaling an end to one of the worst increases since the 1950s

However, the current COVID-19 pandemic is presenting different challenges on our roadways. It’s important to remember that theleading killers on our roadways – alcohol and drug impairment, lack of seat belt use and speeding – are not quarantined. Getting on the Road to Zero is more important than ever. So while the coalition welcomes this hopeful news, we still need to double down on what works, accelerate technology and change the culture of safety on our nation’s roadways. We will not rest until no one dies on our roadways, ever.

About the Road to Zero Coalition

The Road to Zero Coalition provides a coordinated, data-driven response to the increase in roadway deaths, with a goal of getting to zero traffic fatalities by 2050. Road to Zero was founded in 2016 by a group of public and private entities, including federal and state governments, nonprofit, and private sector entities.