More cars on the road add up to more motor vehicle deaths, report finds

CHICAGO — Motor vehicle deaths have shot up nationally for the second year in a row, as lower gas prices and an improved economy have put more cars on the road, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report by the National Safety Council found that the number of motor vehicle deaths went up 6 percent in 2016 compared with 2015 for a total of 40,200, the first time the total has exceeded 40,000 since 2007. The number of vehicle miles traveled increased 3 percent in 2016 from 2015.

This is the second consecutive year in which the nation has seen a substantial jump in motor vehicle deaths, the report found. The total for 2015 was 37,757, a 7 percent increase from 2014, while the 2014 figure was less than half a percent higher than the 2013 total.

Safety experts have previously pointed to an increase in distracted driving, along with more driving, as major factors in the increase.

“There are so many cases that involve distracted driving — use of a cellphone, texting, operating a GPS,” said Patrick Salvi Sr., a personal injury attorney in Chicago.

Salvi noted that there is a stigma associated with drunken driving that has not yet attached itself to distracted driving, despite a growing media campaign against the practice.

“People make a concerted effort to have a designated driver or take Uber or a cab if they’re going to be drinking,” Salvi said. But he said that with distracted driving, “I think it’s gotten worse rather than better.

“I think people are so addicted that they cannot disconnect from their phones,” Salvi said. He said many drivers mistakenly believe they can safely look at their phones while in traffic.

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths.