The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said there were an estimated 36,640 traffic fatalities in 2025, a 6.7% decrease from the year before.

The traffic fatality rate for 2025 was estimated at 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), the second-lowest level on record. 

Last year was the fourth straight year of declines. In 2024, traffic deaths fell below ‌40,000 for the first time since 2020. NHTSA’s report said the fourth quarter of 2025 represented the 15th consecutive quarterly decline in fatalities, beginning with the second quarter of 2022.

“In the past year alone, we’ve partnered with our incredible law enforcement officers to get dangerous foreign truck drivers off the roads and educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving, drunk driving, and driving without a seat belt,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “We’ve also worked with auto manufacturers to stand up our Freedom Means Affordable Cars initiative to make buying new, safer cars more affordable.” 

NHTSA said it is continuing to gather and finalize data on 2025 crash fatalities, using information from police crash reports and other sources. The agency did not provide specific figures for truck-involved crashes, but estimated that overall traffic fatalities decreased in 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration showed that VMT increased by about 29.8 billion miles in 2025, or about a 0.9% increase. NHTSA also confirmed that 39,254 people died in traffic crashes in 2024, and that the fatality rate for the year was 1.19 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The announcement was made at an event marking April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. During the month, law enforcement officers will be increasing efforts to identify and stop distracted drivers. 

One person is killed every 2.5 hours in distracted driving crashes, NHTSA said.