Report: Traffic deaths around the country jump in 2016

A look at traffic deaths so far this year shows an alarming 9 percent increase over last year.

The country is on pace for the deadliest year since 2007, according to former National Transportation Safety Board chair Deborah Hersman. Hersman now leads the nonprofit National Safety Council.

While an improved economy means more people are on the roads, Hersman says increased distractions may also play a role.

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“We know people are willing to do things behind the wheel, like use Facebook, Snapchat, even video conference …” she explained.

Even smartphone apps are distracting people behind the wheel. “Pokemon Go,” for example, has become a cause of traffic-related crashes since it was released.

The National Safety Council says in the first six months of 2016, an estimated 19,100 people died on US roadways. An estimated 2.2 million were seriously injured. The cost of these injuries exceeds $200 billion, according to the Safety Council.

The trend began in 2014. Last year, the Safety Council issued its largest year-over-year percentage increase in 50 years.

Because of the high fatality estimates, the Safety Council predicts more than 400 people will be killed during Labor Day weekend.

States with some of the highest increases of traffic fatalities include California, Florida, Georgie, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and North Carolina. Washington, on the other hand, has an estimated 8-percent increase from 2015 — from 235 deaths to 253.

Motor Vehicle Fatality Estimates – 6-month trends.

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