And the upward trend in urban crash projections will rise as populations and vehicle miles traveled in those areas increase, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports.

A national census of fatal traffic crashes shows deaths in urban areas surged 34% between 2010 and 2019, while those in rural areas fell 10%. Since 2019, 19,595 people have been killed in urban locations compared to 16,340 in the countryside.

And it’s worth noting, AAA says, that more than 70% of the 4 million miles of public-access roads in the U.S. are rural, according to Federal Highway Administration statistics. Yet while speeding occurs on all routes, those in urban areas account for a “disproportionate number of speeding-related fatalities.”…

The study also found that collisions with pedestrians or bicyclists accounted for the most significant proportion of all fatalities (29%) regardless of speed in the city.