By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. traffic deaths soared by 18.4% in the first six months of 2021 from the same period a year earlier, for the most deadly first half on American roads since 2006, the Transportation Department said on Thursday.
Traffic deaths surged after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020 as more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior like speeding and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, regulators said. That made for the largest six-month increase ever recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System's history, which has been in use since 1975.
"This is a crisis," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America."
Buttigieg said the department will release a National Roadway Safety Strategy in January with a comprehensive set of actions to reduce serious injuries and deaths.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated 20,160 people died in car crashes in the first six months of 2021 in the United States, up 3,140 over the same period in 2020. Travel on U.S. roads was up 13% in the first half compared to a year earlier.
One factor in the big jump in 2020 was that drivers who remained on the roads engaged in riskier behavior, NHTSA said. As U.S. roads became less crowded, some motorists perceived police were less likely to issue tickets because of COVID-19, some experts said.
NHTSA released behavioral research findings from March 2020 through June this year that indicated incidents of speeding and traveling without a seatbelt were higher than before the pandemic.
NHTSA said in the three months ending June 30 alone, traffic deaths rose by 23.1%, the highest quarterly increase ever.
"This nightmare on our roads needs to stop," said Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) President Alex Otte. "Traffic safety enforcement has been cut and we are seeing the horrific consequences. A shortage of officers has resulted in the elimination of DUI task forces in some cities."