This week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said traffic deaths declined in 2025, with fatalities decreasing in 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico – even as vehicle miles travelled or VMT increased.
[Above photo by TxDOT]
NHTSA noted in a statement that traffic fatalities declined to 36,640 in 2025 – a 6.7 percent decrease from 2024 – which corresponded to decline in the traffic fatality rate to 1.10 fatalities per 100 million VMT. Preliminary data analyzed by the Federal Highway Administration indicates VMT increased by about 29.8 billion miles or 0.9 percent in 2025 versus 2024.
NHTSA also released its annual traffic fatality data for 2024, reporting that 39,254 people died in traffic crashes in 2024. The fatality rate for 2024 was 1.19 per 100 million VMT, the agency added.
Additionally, from April 6-13, NHTSA will be conducting its annual Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign, to remind the public of the financial, legal, and even deadly consequences of driving distracted. The agency noted that 18 people are injured every half hour in distracted driving crashes, and one person is killed about every 2.5 hours.
Concurrently, NHTSA is also making $665 million in traffic safety grants available to state highway safety offices to help them address challenging traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, unbelted driving, impaired driving, and excessive speed. States may use that funding for traffic enforcement activities, child safety seat clinics, post-crash care, and public education, the agency said in a separate statement.
As part of that funding offering, NHTSA has launched the second major element of its modernized electronic grants management system, known as “eGrants,” to help ease the process by which states apply for grants.
