U.S. Highway Deaths Rose In 2012, Distracted Driving Fatalities Dipped

The number of U.S. highway deaths in 2012 rose three percent to 33,561 -- an increase of 1,082 deaths compared with a year before -- while the number of people killed in distracted-affected crashes slightly decreased, according to new government statistics.

The 2012 fatality analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, released mid-November, marked the first increase in highway fatalities since 2005. The report said distracted-affected crashes killed 3,328 people in 2012, compared with 3,360 fatalities a year prior.

NHTSA said it is just beginning to quantify distraction-related accidents, which are meant to tally the effect of texting, phoning, or answering a call while driving.

Despite the reduction in distracted-driving fatalities, an estimated 421,000 people were injured in distracted-affected crashes -- a nine percent increase from the estimated 387,000 people injured in 2011.

"Highway deaths claim more than 30,000 lives each year, and while we've made substantial progress over the past fifty years, it's clear that we have much more work to do," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

The report also showed that the number of deaths involving drunken drivers increased nearly five percent, taking 10,322 lives, compared with 9,865 in 2011. The majority of those crashed involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration that was nearly double the legal limit.

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