The Numbers Behind the Country’s Decreasing Traffic Fatalities

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."