Road Deaths Have Soared During Pandemic Even as Driving Declined

Data on U.S. traffic fatalities in 2020 shocked safety advocates: At a time when people were driving less, deaths jumped. In fact, they were higher last year than in any year since 2007.

And 2021 could be even worse. The federal government estimates that 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of this year. That’s an 18.4% increase from the same period in 2020.

“This is a crisis,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement when the numbers were released on Oct. 28. “We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a ...