WASHINGTON — U.S. auto safety regulators on Tuesday said traffic deaths rose 12 percent in the first nine months of 2021 to 31,720 — the highest number killed on American roads in that period since 2006, according to its initial estimate.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in the third quarter traffic deaths were estimated to have risen 3.9 percent.
The 12 percent reported increase in the first nine months is the highest reported since NHTSA began using its current traffic fatality tracking system in 1975.
