Traffic fatalities across the U.S. dropped more than 8% in the first half of this year, according to NHTSA. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it’s the largest first-half reduction since 2008.
The new report, released today, compared the number of fatalities for the first half of 2025 to the first half of 2024. It shows traffic fatalities dropped in Washington by 10.4%. However, fatalities rose in Idaho by 18.6% during that time frame.
Washington had 337 fatalities in the first sixth months of 2024, and 302 in the first half of 2025. Idaho had 102 in the first half of 2024, and 121 in the first half of this year.
NHTSA says an estimated 17,140 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes from January through June 2025, down from 18,680 fatalities during the same period in 2024.
“These preliminary figures are encouraging and reflect NHTSA’s close collaboration with state and local partners, especially law enforcement, to improve safety on our roads,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said. “But even as we see progress, these numbers are far too high, and we remain focused on reducing traffic fatalities even further.”
The agency also noted the decrease happened as vehicle miles traveled increased by 12.1 billion miles during the first half of 2025.
The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled dropped to 1.06, down 8.6% from 1.16 in the same period last year. NHTSA says this is the lowest mid-year fatality rate since 2014.
The report says 38 states are projected to have decreases in traffic deaths, while 11 states are projected to see increases. It doesn’t expect Rhode Island to see any change.
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