Highway crash data from 2018 shows that overall fatalities from vehicle accidents in the U.S. declined 2.4%, marking the second year in a row with a reduction in deaths.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2018 shows that highway fatalities decreased in 2018 with 913 fewer fatalities, down to 36,560 people from 37,473 people in 2017. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled also decreased by 3.4 percent (from 1.17 in 2017 to 1.13 in 2018), the lowest fatality rate since 2014.

Officials attributed the decline in part to safety features found on newer vehicles on the road.

“New vehicles are safer than older ones and when crashes occur, more new vehicles are equipped with advanced technologies that prevent or reduce the severity of crashes,” NHTSA Acting Administrator James Owens said.
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