How many traffic fatalities happen in the US? 

Traffic fatalities in the United States hit a 16-year high in 2021. At the same time, traffic fatality rates are close to historic lows. Why is that? Find out with the data in this article.

• Fatality rates, calculated by the number of deaths per 100 million miles traveled, have decreased since the mid-2000s, and particularly since the 1970s. Much of that decline can be attributed to airbags, anti-lock brakes, and other car safety features, plus laws requiring people to wear seat belts.

• Last year, 42,915 people died in traffic fatalities, 4,091 more than in 2020. Still, due to the millions of miles driven nationwide, the 2020 and 2021 rates were both 1.3, up from the 2018 and 2019 rates of 1.1.

• In 2020, 19 states had a higher traffic fatality rate than the national average of 1.34 per 100 million miles.
   
• Of the past 100 years, 1972 had the most traffic fatalities: 54,589.
   
• According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, alcohol-related crashes were 50.9% of traffic fatalities in 1990; they've fallen to between 30%–40% in the last two decades. However, these fatalities rose by nearly 10% in 2020. Complete numbers for 2021 aren't yet available, but early estimates show higher alcohol-related fatalities than before the pandemic.

See more, including a visual on where most types of traffic fatalities happen, in this article. 


How is Planned Parenthood funded?

The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned the constitutional right to abortion and renewed focus on who provides abortions in the US. One of the nation's primary abortion providers is Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that runs clinics to administer reproductive and sexual health services. Planned Parenthood receives donations from the public, but it also receives government money.

• Planned Parenthood receives money from the government in two ways: reimbursements for services to Medicaid patients and agency grants. In the most recent data available (federal fiscal year 2015), the Congressional Budget Office estimated the organization received $390 million in federal and state Medicaid reimbursements. This was the nonprofit's single largest revenue stream.
   
• Federal funds haven't paid for abortions since 1977. A budget provision known as the Hyde Amendment prohibits using federal funds for abortions except in some specific cases. However, since Medicaid is a federal-state partnership, 16 states use state Medicaid funds to pay for medically necessary abortions.

See more at USAFacts, including the services Planned Parenthood most commonly provides. 

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Data behind the news

President Joe Biden recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly about Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons in Russia's war on Ukraine. Curious about the state of America's nuclear arsenal? See how the number of US warheads has shrunk since the 1960s.

How has Title 42 affected border crossings? See how this order has changed immigration to the US since March 2020 and learn the countries from which most immigrants are arriving.

Finally, USAFacts just posted a new weekly quiz!


One last fact