US Auto Crash Death Rate Highest In Study Of Rich Countries

US death rates from motor vehicle crashes rates are the highest among 29 upper-income countries, according to a government study that adds to the country’s poor public-health record among developed nations.

Annual US fatalities from car, truck and motorcycle collisions were 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2019, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, 2.3 times higher than the average in wealthy countries.

While 21 other countries saw a decrease in crash-related mortality from 2015 to 2019, the pace of US deaths remained the same.

Motor-vehicle deaths are another black mark on public health measures in the US, which ranks 60th in life expectancy worldwide despite its wealth.

A recent report from a bipartisan group of national health experts called for greater public health representation in the top levels of the administration and reliable funding for state and local health departments to improve responses to health crises, like the Covid-19 pandemic.