Minnesota Traffic Deaths Rose Significantly Last Year

Traffic deaths across the United States rose by 7.2 percent from 2014 to 2015, and the number was much higher for Minnesota.

The state saw a 13.9 percent increase, with 411 in 2015, up from 361 in 2014, according to data from the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Minnesota saw 7.49 fatalities per 100,000 population, more than twice as many as the lowest state in the nation, which saw 3.42 fatalities per 100,000 residents, and an increase from Minnesota's 2014 rate of 6.62.

The national average in 2015 was 10.92, an increase from 2014's 10.27 fatalities per 100,000 population.

Minnesota had 115 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2015, seven more than the previous year.

Nationally, 35,092 people died due to crashes. That's up from 32,744 in 2014. The last time fatalities jumped by that much percentage-wise was from 1965 to 1966.

The sharp increase in auto deaths ended a downward trend. Since 2005, the number of roadway deaths decreased every year with the exception of 2012, where there was a small increase.

2015 Traffic Fatalities Per 100,000 Population

• National - 10.92

1. Wyoming 24.74
2. Mississippi 22.62
3. Montana 21.69
4. South Carolina 19.95
5. Arkansas 17.83
6. Alabama 17.47
7. North Dakota 17.31
8. Kentucky 17.2
9. Oklahoma 16.44
10. Louisiana 15.54
11. South Dakota 15.49
12. West Virginia 14.54
13. Tennessee 14.51
14. Florida 14.5
15. New Mexico 14.29
16. Missouri 14.28
17. Georgia 14
18. North Carolina 13.73
19. Delaware 13.32
20. Arizona 13.08
21. Idaho 13.05
22. Nebraska 12.97
23. Texas 12.8
24. Indiana 12.4
25. Kansas 12.19
26. Nevada 11.24
27. Oregon 11.09
28. Iowa 10.24
29. Colorado 10.01
30. Maine 9.85
31. Wisconsin 9.81
32. Michigan 9.71
33. Ohio 9.56
34. Pennsylvania 9.37
35. Utah 9.21
36. Vermont 9.1
37. Virginia 8.98
38. Alaska 8.8
39. New Hampshire 8.57
40. Maryland 8.54
41. California 8.11
42. Washington 7.92
43. Illinois 7.76
44. Minnesota 7.49
45. Connecticut 7.41
46. Hawaii 6.57
47. New Jersey 6.27
48. New York 5.66
49. Massachusetts 4.5
50. Rhode Island 4.26

• Traffic deaths resulting from drivers who were under the influence of alcohol increased by 3.2 percent, from 9,943 to 10,265.
• Traffic deaths involving a distracted driver — someone texting, eating or otherwise not paying full attention to the road — increased by 8.8 percent, from 3,197 to 3,477.
• Fatal crashes increased across every type of vehicle except for drivers of large trucks.
• The number of miles people traveled in a vehicle increased by 3.5 percent, 3,026 billion to 3,131 billion, the largest percentage increase since 1992.
• The number of people injured in traffic accidents increased by 105,000 to more 2.4 million.

At the state level, the largest percentage increase in roadway deaths came in Vermont, where 57 people died in 2015, compared to 44 in 2014, a 29.5 percent increase. The largest percentage reduction in traffic deaths came in New Mexico, where 298 people were killed in 2015 versus 386 in 2014, a 22.8 percent drop. Only 15 states had fewer traffic deaths in 2015 than they did in 2014.

You can read the full 2015 traffic fatalities report for yourself here.

So why is this happening?

An NHTSA press release pegged the increases on two factors: job growth and gas prices.

Traffic injuries also rose, showing a “statistically significant increase” of 105,000, according to the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report.

While fatalities were up, so was the amount of driving done on American roads, with vehicle miles traveled increasing by 3.5 percent from 2014 to 2015. That was the largest jump in nearly 25 years.

Marc Torrence contributed to this story.

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