Report: U.S. Traffic Fatalities Rise, Again

"A total of 40,200 people died on U.S. roads in 2016, the highest level in almost a decade, according to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC)," reports Melanie Zanona.

"The number of traffic fatalities last year represents a 6 percent increase over 2015 and a 14 percent increase over 2014 — the sharpest two-year escalation in more than 50 years, the safety group said."

The NSC data for 2016 aren't the official federal figures, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already released data for the first three quarters of 2016 that showed an 8 percent increase, so any possible discrepancy is still likely to trend toward a spike in traffic fatalities.

The National Safety Council released a statement along with the data. NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman offered a blunt assessment of the news. In her own words: "Our complacency is killing us. Americans believe there is nothing we can do to stop crashes from happening, but that isn't true....The U.S. lags the rest of the developed world in addressing highway fatalities. We know what needs to be done; we just haven't done it."