U.S. traffic deaths drop slightly in 2022, but it’s still at ‘crisis’ levels

Cars travel along the inbound lane of the Kennedy Expressway near the Irving Park exit. A federal official blamed the high number of U.S. traffic deaths on impaired driving, speeding and other reckless behavior. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

DETROIT — The number of people killed on U.S. roadways decreased slightly last year, but government officials said the 42,795 people who died is still a national crisis.

Estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that the number of fatalities dropped 0.3% from the 42,939 killed in 2021. Traffic deaths declined slightly in the fourth quarter, the third straight quarterly drop.