41 Percent of Traffic Fatalities Occur on Rural Roads

Jul 15, 2026
By Farms.com

Rural Road Safety Campaign Focuses on Preventing Fatal Crashes

According to national traffic data, 39,254 people lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2024. Of those fatalities, 16,006—about 41%—occurred on rural roads, even though only 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas and 31 percent of all vehicle miles are traveled there.

To try to address this issue, we have Rural Road Safety Awareness Week (RRSAW), which began July 13 and ends on July 17, to draw attention to the unique safety challenges faced on rural roadways while encouraging travelers to adopt safer driving habits.

The 2026 campaign, themed “The Rural Modes,” highlights the wide variety of transportation methods that share rural roads and promotes actions that can help prevent serious crashes and save lives.

The campaign emphasizes that understanding the variety of vehicles using rural roads can help drivers and transportation professionals make safer decisions. Guided by the Safe System Approach, RRSAW 2026 also reinforces the idea that while human mistakes are inevitable, road systems should be designed and used in ways that reduce the likelihood of fatal outcomes.

“Fewer vehicles, fewer lanes, beautiful scenery—it can be easy to perceive that rural roads are without dangers,” said Jaime Sullivan, director of the National Center for Rural Road Safety (the Center). “But the truth is, and the data shows, the risks are real.”

‘With multiple modes of travel, from everyday vehicles to less common ones like horse and buggies, rural communities face unique safety challenges. We must always remember, regardless of the mode of choice, our goal is to arrive safely.”

This year’s video game-inspired campaign encourages everyone to make every mile count toward the goal of eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes.

Daily themes:

Monday: Roadway Regulars
Tuesday: Micro Movers
Wednesday: Big Movers
Thursday: Route Runners
Friday: Uncommon Cruisers

For more information, visit https://ruralsafetycenter.org/.

Photo Credit: national-center-for-rural-road-safety

Video: Share the Road with Joseph Tyler of El-Vi Farms

No one expects tragedy on a routine drive home. But for farmers across New York, that is a daily fear.

In this emotional video, Joseph Tyler of El-Vi Farms, opens up about how this moment forever changed his family’s life. Farmers are so much more than their equipment. They have parents, siblings, children and friends anxiously waiting at home each night for their loved ones to walk through the door.

Before you pass a tractor or become frustrated behind a slow moving vehicle, we urge you to think of the people inside. Please, slow down and share the road responsibly so we can keep everyone safe.