Fewer people are dying on America’s roadways. About 8,650 people died in traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2024 — 3.2% fewer than the same period in 2023, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projections released Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • About 8,650 people died in traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  • That's 3.2% fewer than the same period in 2023

  • Traffic fatalities fell even though the number of vehicle miles traveled increased 0.6% over the same period

  • Roadway deaths fell in 30 states and increased in 19 others

“We’re encouraged to see traffic fatalities continue to decline, but more work must be done to reduce these preventable tragedies on our roads,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said in a statement.

The eighth consecutive quarter of declines, they took place even as the number of vehicle miles traveled increased 0.6%. Traffic fatalities increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continued to increase through the first quarter of 2021.

While traffic fatalities decreased in 30 states and Puerto Rico in the first quarter of 2024, they increased in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Rhode Island saw the largest decline in traffic deaths (-62.5%), followed by Wyoming (-51.5%), Delaware (-31.4%), Arkansas (-26.4%) and Idaho (-24.4%).

Maine saw the largest increase (+107.1%), followed by Minnesota (+69.4%), Vermont (+50%), Nevada (+38.6%) and New Jersey (+35.3%)