When it comes to road safety, the United States has stumbled in recent years. Following decades of progress in reducing fatalities, crash deaths rose 30% from below 33,000 in 2014 to nearly 43,000 in 2022.

IIHS responded by launching the 30x30 initiative — a goal to turn this dismal result on its head and reduce fatalities 30% by 2030. We envision 30x30 as a rallying cry for the entire road safety community and leaders at every level of government.

Already, we are seeing real progress. Based on preliminary estimates of 2025 fatalities, road deaths have declined substantially in more than half the states.

These localized improvements add up to national progress, though it’s too early to know how enduring it will be.

U.S. motor vehicle crash deaths
1950-2022

The recent decline reflects the combined effects of many factors, and sustaining that progress will require continued commitment to proven strategies.

In other words, the 30x30 initiative requires tackling the problem from all sides. There are many proven road safety solutions, but no single one that can get us to our goal on its own. Nor can we at IIHS-HLDI implement all these solutions by ourselves. That’s why we’re asking the entire safety community — researchers, advocacy groups, policymakers, vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers, transportation engineers, health and safety officials, law enforcement, insurers and concerned individuals — to join us in this effort.

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IIHS-HLDI leaders explain the 30x30 vision

• President David Harkey on getting back on track toward Vision Zero
• Senior Vice President Jessica Cicchino on the need to change behavior and infrastructure
• Vice President David Kidd on IIHS-HLDI’s new focus on commercial vehicle safety

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Success stories

Proactive injury prevention in transportation
Despite the challenging picture with road safety nationally, many U.S. states and communities are modeling innovative approaches to injury prevention. Together with other road safety partners, we have compiled Safe System case studies that transportation leaders, elected officials and advocates can draw upon for inspiration.

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Related news

• IIHS launches evaluations of commercial vehicles, starting with driver protection, June 9, 2026
• Strong road safety policies have helped keep Canada on track, study shows, July 31, 2025
• IIHS president: NHTSA must show greater willingness to act, June 26, 2025