New federal data estimates 36,640 traffic fatalities on US roads in 2025 – a 6.7% decline from the prior year – but the Modern Analytics for Roadway Safety (MARS) Coalition is pressing Congress to use the next surface transportation reauthorisation to accelerate a shift from reactive to predictive road-safety strategies.
The figures were released this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Washington DC.
“Nearly 7% fewer families lost someone on America’s roads last year. That is real progress and deserves our attention, but 36,640 deaths is still a national crisis,” says Andrew Rogers, executive director of the MARS Coalition. “We wouldn’t declare victory in any other public health crisis at these numbers, and we shouldn’t here either.”
Traffic crashes cost the US more than $439 billion in economic losses in 2024 alone. Despite decades of federal investment, many safety programmes continue to rely heavily on historical crash data – a lagging indicator that identifies where tragedies have already occurred rather than where new risks are emerging.
From reactive to predictive
Telematics, artificial intelligence (AI), and predictive risk analytics now allow transportation agencies to identify high-risk corridors in real time, flagging near-misses, hard braking, and speeding patterns before they translate into fatalities. A number of states and localities are already deploying these tools with measurable results.
The MARS Coalition is calling on Congress to accelerate that transition in the forthcoming surface transportation reauthorisation. The bipartisan Roadway Safety Modernization Act – introduced by US senators John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and representatives Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) – would update federal programmes to help more states and communities integrate predictive safety tools into their road-safety strategies.
“We have the tools to prevent tragedies on America’s roads before they happen. AI, predictive analytics, and telematics are transforming how transportation leaders identify risk and target investments,” Rogers adds. “Now we need Congress to give communities the funding and flexibility to scale it.”
The MARS Coalition brings together industry leaders, safety organisations, and technology companies working to prevent crashes through the use of telematics, AI, and predictive analytics.
