The pandemic caused people to drive less last year. Roads were almost empty for months due to lockdowns, virtual work and school, and home deliveries. So a new report showing that 2020 was one of the worst years for fatal car accidents came as a shock to safety officials.
All time high for fatal car accidents
According to the National Safety Council
- Over 42,000 Americans lost their lives in car accidents in 2020 — a huge increase over the year before and the highest total in 13 years;
- A shocking 5,000,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes last year;
- For the first half of 2020, while the number of miles dropped by 17%, the number of fatal car accidents increased by 20%;
- Collisions are now the leading cause of death for our children and young people from ages 1-25; and
- The cost to our country is an astonishing one-half trillion dollars a year.
- Almost 4,000 Texans perished in a vehicle crash, the highest total in years. Year after year, Texas has the highest number of fatal car accidents in the United States.
This is crazy. How could this possibly have happened?