(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 54 fewer traffic deaths in Illinois in 2022 than there were in 2021. The total number in 2022 was 1,280, which is still higher than traffic deaths before the pandemic started.
In 2019, there were just over 1,000 traffic deaths in the Land of Lincoln.
Kavi Bhalla, a University of Chicago professor who researches road safety, said the numbers don’t represent a meaningful decline.
“Fatalities have declined very slightly this year. It’s not a cause to celebrate,” Bhalla said in an email to the Sun-Times.
Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois, a biking advocacy organization, said the slight decrease in 2022 deaths is encouraging, “but the number of people dying on our nation’s roads is still incredibly high.”
“Fewer people being injured or killed on Illinois roads is notable, but not cause for celebration,” Simmons continued, adding that the decline could probably be attributed to the implementation of federal programs like Safe Streets and Roads for All.
The programs fund regional and local initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
In neighboring Indiana, the state saw 23 more traffic deaths in 2022 than in 2021, while Wisconsin had 18 fewer deaths.
An estimated 42,795 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2022, a decrease of 0.3% from the 42,939 killed in 2021, the highest number in 16 years, NHTSA said, adding that speeding and impaired or distracted driving are on the rise.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes NHTSA, said the country is still facing a “national crisis” of traffic deaths.
View the full NHTSA report here.
(The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.)
Related
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!