Connecticut Traffic Fatalities Exceed 10% Increase in 2021, Estimates Show

Traffic fatalities in Connecticut jumped more than 10 percent between 2020 and 2021, slightly higher than the national increase, according to official federal government estimates.

An estimated 42,915 people died on America's roads last year, a 10.5% increase from 2020, and a 16-year high.  In Connecticut, fatalities reached 327 during the year, compared with 295 the previous year, an increase of 10.8%, based on preliminary estimates.

Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2021 increased by about 325.2 billion miles, or about a 11.2-percent increase as compared to 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

The increase in Connecticut ranked 20th among the states.  In New England, the estimated traffic fatalities increased at a higher percentage in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as in New Jersey in the region.

Overall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis reports the highest percentage increases in traffic fatalities in 2021 were in Idaho 33.6%; Minnesota 26.9%; Nevada 21.8%: New Jersey 21.4%; Massachusetts 20.4%; New Mexico 20.4%; Utah 20.3%; Vermont 20.2%; Oklahoma 18.7%; New Hampshire 18.3%; Delaware 18.1%; Texas 18.0%; Oregon 17.9%; Louisiana 17.9%; Washington 16.4%; Montana 14.1%; Virginia 13.9%; Illinois 13.7%; and Colorado 11.9%.

The agency’s report points out that “during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were marked increases in fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million Vehicle Miles Traveled in 2020. This increased trend in fatalities continued into 2021 (the degree of increase was greatly reduced during June–December).”

The final files for 2020 and annual report file for 2021 will be available later this year, which usually results in the revision of fatality totals and the ensuing fatality rates and percentage changes, according to NHTSA.