Susannah Locke examines some of the data behind the United State’s steady decrease in auto fatalities since a peak in 1969, when 55,043 people died while driving.
Susannah Locke, writing for new website Vox, cites a number of data points (referencing simple charts and graphs) to explain why auto fatalities are “way, way down” (although the numbers did not follow long-term trends in 2012):
- “Data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that deaths from drunk driving dropped by half since the early 1980s. One big factor: in the '80s, many states raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21.”
- "As of 2012, US seat belt use averages 86 percent."
- "Although the general trend since 1971 has been more and more miles on the road, we've been traveling about 7 percent fewer miles per person since 2005."
FULL STORY: You’re less likely to die in a car crash nowadays — here’s why
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