Deaths decrease sharply even as mileage increases in 2025
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimate of motor-vehicle deaths in 2025 is 37,810, down 12% from the revised count of 42,789 in 2024. Mileage in 2025 increased 0.9% from 2024 and was up 2.4% from 2023. The estimated mileage death rate in 2025 is 1.14 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down 12.3% from 1.30 in 2024 and down 17.4% compared to 2023.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports the official mortality estimates for the United States and is used as a comparison to judge the accuracy of NSC preliminary estimates. The publication of NCHS final mortality estimates generally lags about one year. The most recent NCHS final estimate shows 42,789 deaths occurring in 2024. This compares to the NSC initial estimate of 44,680, with a difference of 4.4%. This was the largest percentage difference since 2002.
Mileage source: Federal Highway Administration.
- Chart
- Data Table