Preliminary Semiannual Estimates

Deaths down 4% even as mileage increases in 2023

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimate of motor-vehicle deaths in 2023 is 44,450, down 4% from 46,270 in 2022. Mileage in 2023 increased 2.1% from 2022 and was up 3.9% from 2021. The estimated mileage death rate in 2023 is 1.36 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down 6.2% from 1.45 in 2022 and down 9.3% compared to 2021.

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 or more. The most recent NCHS final estimate shows 46,980 deaths occurring in 2021. This compares to the NSC initial estimate of 46,020, with a difference of 2%.

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