‘Roads are getting more dangerous’: Mass. had huge spike in traffic deaths last year, new data shows

BOSTON — Massachusetts is home to some of the most dangerous roads in the United States, according to a new report.

A team of analysts at Quote Wizard found that traffic fatalities increased by 21 percent in 2021 with 414 people killed and highways and streets across the Bay State. Only Idaho, Minnesota, and Nevada had a bigger jump in deaths from 2020.

“Massachusetts roads are getting more dangerous,” a spokesperson for the insurance comparison company said.

Across all 50 states, the number of people killed on America’s roads increased by 9 percent in 2021 to 46,020. Data also indicated that people between the ages of 35-44 saw the largest increase in traffic fatalities.

“Even more concerning is that this increase in traffic fatalities is happening after a particularly deadly year. Traffic fatalities reached a 13-year high in 2020 when 42,000 people died on America’s roads,” Quote Wizard wrote in its report.

Analysts noted that the increase in deaths on the roadways is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a sharp increase in the number of speeding-related fatalities.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group