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Partnerships · Research interviews

Your view on why road deaths fell below 40,000

In 2024, U.S. traffic deaths dropped to 39,254, the first year under 40,000 since 2020. We're writing a short research brief on why, and on the states where deaths still went up. We'd like to interview you for it and quote you in it.

Free to take part. We don't charge you, and we don't pay guests.

Take part Questions? Read the answers

  • Published by AccidentReports.com LLC
  • Numbers from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System

Traffic deaths in the United States

39,254

people died in traffic crashes in 2024, down 4.3% from 2023

  1. 202143,230
  2. 202242,721
  3. 202341,025
  4. 202439,254
2021 to 2023 are FARS final counts; 2024 is the FARS Annual Report File. Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791.

Last updated

What it is
A research interview, not a podcast. We ask for your view on the numbers and quote you in the brief. If you'd like video too, we record the call and edit it for you.
Published by
AccidentReports.com LLC, which helps people find their crash reports and connects them with attorneys and doctors in its network.
Who we interview
Traffic-safety researchers, crash reconstructionists, injury attorneys, trauma doctors, police and records officials, and safety advocates.
The question
Deaths fell for a third year in a row while Americans drove more miles. What changed, will it last, and why did 17 states and D.C. go the other way?
Where it goes
Published on AccidentReports.com, sent to reporters and podcast hosts who cover road safety, and shared on our social channels.

What's in it for you

Get quoted, cited and seen

Your view goes next to federal crash numbers that reporters can check, with your name and a link back to you. Video is optional: say yes to recording, and we make the clips.

Youand your work

  • Reporters
  • Podcast hosts
  • Safety advocates
  • Attorneys
  • Doctors
  • Drivers

  • Quoted in the brief

    Your words, in context, next to sourced numbers.

  • Pitched to the press

    We send the brief to reporters and podcast hosts who cover road safety.

  • A link back to you

    Your name, title and organization, linked, wherever we use your words.

  • Next to other experts

    Other guests share the brief too, so their readers find you.

  • A short profile video

    If you choose video: a short edit on you and your work, plus the full conversation.

  • Clips you can post

    If you choose video: a few of your best answers, captioned with your name and title.

$0

No cost to you.

We cover the interview, the editing and the publishing. You see everything before it goes out.

Why we're doing this

Every number on a crash report is a person.

Police reported 6,180,241 crashes in 2024. 39,254 people died and an estimated 2,422,195 were hurt. AccidentReports.com exists to help the people in those reports get their paperwork and their next steps. Fewer deaths is the best news our numbers have carried in years, and we want to understand it from the people who see crashes up close.

Source: NHTSA, Overview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes in 2024.

Everyone we interview becomes an AccidentReports.com Research Partner.

Research Partner

Your name

Your title, your organization

What you can count on

  • First lookEach new brief before it's public.
  • First callWhen a future brief fits what you know.
  • Credit, every timeYour name and organization wherever we use your words.

Below 40,000 · the first AccidentReports.com brief

What the numbers show

What the 2024 crash data says, and what it doesn't

The brief starts from NHTSA's 2024 figures. Every number is sourced, and the full tables are on our car accident statistics page. What the data can't tell us is why. That's what we'll ask you.

  • 39,254

    Deaths, 2024

    Down 4.3% in a year

    From 41,025 in 2023, and the first year below 40,000 since 2020.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791

  • 1.19

    Deaths per 100M miles

    Lowest since 2019

    Still above the 1.13 average for 2013 to 2019, before the pandemic.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791

  • +1.5%

    Miles driven

    More driving, fewer deaths

    Americans drove 3,294 billion miles in 2024, up from 3,247 billion, while the death rate fell.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791

  • 17 + D.C.

    Went the other way

    Not every state shared in it

    Deaths fell in 33 states and Puerto Rico, and rose in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791

  • 11th

    Straight quarterly decline

    A streak since 2022

    The last quarter of 2024 was the 11th quarter in a row with fewer deaths, starting in the second quarter of 2022.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 710

  • 30% / 29%

    Alcohol and speed

    The two biggest factors

    Alcohol-impaired crashes were linked to 11,904 deaths and speeding to 11,288. A crash can be both.

    Source: NHTSA, DOT HS 813 791

Inside the brief

Four questions we'll ask our guests

  • Question 01

    What changed?

    Deaths fell three years running. Which causes do you see in your work, and which get too much credit?

  • Question 02

    Who was left out?

    Deaths rose in 17 states and D.C. What is different on those roads?

  • Question 03

    Is the rate the right yardstick?

    Miles driven went up 1.5% while deaths fell. What should people watch instead, or as well?

  • Question 04

    What would keep it falling?

    Cars, roads, enforcement, care after a crash: where would you put the next dollar?

One interview. Video if you want it.

Every interview goes into the brief. Say yes to recording, and you get video as well.

  • The brief

    Get quoted in the brief

    30-minute call, not recorded

    • Your view next to the 2024 numbers, in front of reporters and readers
    • Your quote as an image ready to share
    • Your name, title and organization, with a link back to you

  • The brief + video

    Get quoted and get the video

    30-minute call, recorded

    • Everything in the brief option
    • A short profile video and a few clips of your best answers
    • The full conversation, published with the brief

How it works

  1. Today

    1

    Say yes.

    Email us and we'll find a time that suits you.

  2. Before your call

    2

    Read a one-page prep note.

    The numbers, the questions, and how the call runs, a few days ahead.

  3. Your call

    3

    Talk for 30 minutes.

    A video call on the topics you know. If a question isn't your area, we skip it.

  4. When it's ready

    4

    Approve it, then it's live.

    You see your quotes, and any video, first. We tell you the publish date in advance.

What you control

Nothing goes out without your OK.

  1. 01

    You approve every quote.

    We trim for length and clarity. You see the final wording, and it doesn't change after you approve it.

  2. 02

    You decide on video.

    Say no to recording, and we quote you in the brief only.

  3. 03

    Your compliance team can check it.

    Firms and agencies often have rules about public statements. Tell us who reviews yours, and we'll send them everything first.

  4. 04

    You can change your mind.

    Pull out any time before publication. After that, we'll take your part down from our own channels if you ask.

Questions

Questions about taking part

The interview

No. It's a research interview for a written brief. We ask for your view on the 2024 numbers and quote you. If you'd like video, we record the call and edit a short profile and clips you can share.

Take part in Below 40,000

Email us with your name, your role and the topics you know best. We'll reply to set up a time.

Free, start to finish.

Email us to take part