WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement in response after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released an early estimate of traffic fatalities for 2021. At an estimated 42,915 deaths, the number represents a 16-year high and a 10.5% increase in fatalities from 2020.
“The staggering number of deaths occurring on our nation’s roadways is an ongoing crisis that demands urgent attention,” the Chairs said. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 42, 915 people lost their lives in traffic crashes last year—a sickening number that represents a 16-year high and the largest annual increase since NHTSA began tracking traffic fatalities in 1975. We are committed to doing everything in our power at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to make our roads safer—and will be announcing a hearing soon focused on doing just that.”