America’s roadways will play host to 438 deaths this Labor Day weekend Sept. 2 through Sept. 5, experts predict, which is five times that daily national average and the highest prediction in years for the holiday.
The number is from a new report released by the National Safety Council (NSC) which tracks preventable deaths and advocates for remedies. The same report said that traffic fatalities were up nine percent from 2015.
According to the report, 19,100 people were killed in traffic incidents in the first half of 2016, while 2.2 million were injured. The figure amounts to about 100 traffic deaths per day.
The rise in traffic deaths can be attributed to a stronger economy and lowering unemployment which prompts people to drive more. Lowered gas prices also increases the number of cars on the road, especially during holiday weekends like Labor Day.
Historically, traffic deaths started to decrease in the 1970’s after seatbelt laws and other safety features were beginning to be installed in cars and mandated by law. While the number of deaths have ebbed in flowed over time, dependent on factors like the economy and gas prices, the number of deaths per 100 million miles travelled by U.S. drivers has steadily decreased since the 1960’s.
Deborah Hersman, former head of the National Transportation Safety Board and now President and CEO of the NSC called for action of reducing the number of traffic deaths in the United States. “Our complacency is killing us” Hersman said. “One hundred deaths every day should outrage us. Americans should demand change to prioritize safety actions and protect ourselves from one of the leading causes of preventable death.”
If the trend continues, 40,000 people could die as a result of traffic incidents in 2016, which would be the highest number of fatalities since 2009. The rise in traffic-related deaths began in 2014, and shows no signs of declining as long as the economy continues to improve and gas prices remain lower than in previous years following the great recession.
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