Traffic fatalities up 24 percent in Virginia over past ten years

We recently concluded a holiday weekend when many people traveled on Virginia’s highways and other roads. Last week, a national nonprofit that focuses on traffic safety produced a report that takes a snapshot of recent trends.

“America faces a roadway safety crisis, with motorist, motorcyclist, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in 2023 at a level significantly higher than a decade ago,” reads the conclusion of a report from TRIP, which does not seem to function as a working acronym. 

The TRIP report points out that fatalities from motor vehicle accidents in Virginia increased over the past ten years with 740 reported in 2013 compared to 915 in 2023. The data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

That 24 percent increase in Virginia matched the nationwide trend. There were 32,893 deaths in motor vehicle crashes in 2013, a figure that rose to 40,990 in 2023. 

“The number and rate of U.S. traffic fatalities increased dramatically in 2020 and 2021, as driver behavior and travel patterns changed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020,” reads a press release created for Virginia information outlets. “However, following the sharp increase during the pandemic, U.S. fatalities have fallen in 2022 and 2023.”

In Virginia, however, there were 1,008 traffic deaths in 2022, the highest year on record so far. 

These figures include pedestrians and cyclists killed in collisions with motor vehicles. In fact, fatalities among non-motorized transport made up 21 percent of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2023. 

For more details, read the full report. 

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