Reducing Fatalities by 2030 Requires More Than Vehicle Safety

Lowering road fatalities by 2030 demands more than just improving vehicle safety. A comprehensive approach is needed, including better infrastructure, stricter traffic regulations, enhanced pedestrian safety measures, and public awareness campaigns. Factors like urban planning, driver behavior, and emergency response systems also play a crucial role in reducing accidents. By addressing all these aspects together, we can create safer roads and work towards significantly decreasing fatalities in the coming years.

Even after spending more than a decade at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), I still find it difficult to explain my job when people ask about my profession. My usual response is, “Have you ever seen a commercial promoting a car as an IIHS Top Safety Pick? That’s where I work.” This often leads to the assumption that I conduct crash tests. However, that’s not quite the case.

For many people, IIHS is synonymous with vehicle safety research, largely due to the popularity of its ratings program. While crash tests are undoubtedly the most recognizable aspect of our work—and they are certainly fascinating—they do not encompass everything we do. My role at the Institute focuses on researching road user behavior and infrastructure, which involves evaluating aspects such as road design, traffic regulations, and how drivers interact with their vehicles. In my view, these factors are just as critical as vehicle safety testing. If we aim to make travel safer, particularly in the short term, we must find ways to curb risky driving behaviors and improve the way our roads are designed.

IIHS ratings have played a significant role in encouraging automakers to enhance vehicle safety. When we first introduced the moderate overlap frontal crash test in 1995, only a handful of vehicles achieved a good rating. Today, however, all new cars offer that level of protection. Vehicles that perform well in this test have led to a 46% reduction in driver fatality rates in head-on crashes compared to vehicles that received poor ratings three decades ago.

Despite these advancements, overall traffic fatalities have increased. In 2022, the number of deaths on U.S. roads was nearly 30% higher than in 2014. Risky driving behaviors—such as excessive speeding, driving under the influence, and not wearing seat belts—have contributed significantly to these rising fatality rates, counteracting many of the safety improvements in modern vehicles. Furthermore, these vehicle safety gains have not benefited all road users equally. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists—who lack the protection of a vehicle’s structure—have experienced an even sharper increase in fatalities, with a 49% rise from 2014 to 2022.

Advancements in crash avoidance technology, like automatic emergency braking, are beginning to improve safety for those outside the vehicle. However, these changes take time to make a widespread impact. The average passenger car in the U.S. is nearly 12 years old, meaning that the latest safety innovations will take years—if not decades—to reach most drivers. We need solutions that can take effect more quickly.

To address this, IIHS and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) have introduced a new initiative called 30x30, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities by 30% by the year 2030. Achieving this goal requires implementing strategies that yield immediate results, such as deploying automated safety cameras or installing quick-build infrastructure. These measures have proven effective in various locations. For example, when Montgomery County, Maryland, introduced speed enforcement cameras in residential areas, the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph dropped by 70% in just six months. Similarly, in Washington, D.C., the installation of bollards and rubber speed bumps significantly reduced pedestrian conflicts with left-turning vehicles by over 70% within a few months. If implemented on a larger scale, these solutions could lead to meaningful progress in road safety.

Persuading lawmakers to pass new traffic safety laws or convincing transportation agencies to modify infrastructure is not always easy, but these changes could take effect faster than waiting for the entire vehicle fleet to be replaced. While redesigning a road may take several years, it is still a much quicker process than waiting for decades of gradual vehicle improvements. Additionally, if states enact stronger laws addressing issues like impaired driving, seat belt compliance, and distracted driving within the next five years, they could significantly reduce risky behaviors and improve road safety almost immediately.

As part of our 30x30 vision, IIHS will collaborate with key stakeholders to accelerate these safety improvements. While IIHS is not a lobbying organization, we support advocacy efforts by providing data, research, and tools to help push for stronger legislation at the state level. We also work with states and local governments to test effective safety measures, allowing other regions to follow successful examples. Our goal is to encourage swift action to implement proven solutions that can save lives.

At the same time, we must counteract policies that increase road dangers. Currently, eight U.S. states have highway speed limits of 80 mph or higher. Research shows that raising speed limits has led to an estimated 46,000 additional deaths since the early 1990s—comparable to more than half the number of lives saved by frontal airbags through 2019. Additionally, 33 states do not have universal helmet laws for motorcyclists, a policy gap that has resulted in approximately 22,000 fatalities since 1976. Addressing these legislative shortcomings is critical for enhancing road safety.

IIHS remains committed to long-term vehicle safety improvements while actively pushing for immediate solutions. Enhancing vehicle safety today is an investment in the future, helping to save lives beyond 2030. Technologies such as intelligent speed assistance and driver monitoring systems hold great promise in preventing speeding, impaired driving, and distracted driving. Moreover, vehicle designs can be improved to better protect vulnerable road users through advanced crash avoidance systems, enhanced driver visibility, and vehicle front-end designs that reduce harm in collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.

However, the sharp increase in traffic fatalities over the past decade makes it clear that technology and vehicle design alone are not enough. Even as vehicle safety features continue to improve, it is crucial to maintain and expand progress in infrastructure and policy. A Safe System approach, which integrates safer vehicles, smarter road design, and stronger regulations, is the only way to achieve 30x30 and, ultimately, move closer to eliminating road fatalities altogether.

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Source: iihsorg‍