About 90 people a day died in motor vehicle crashes in 2013, a reduction of 31 percent from 2000, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency calls that good progress, but not as good as the average 56 percent reduction in crash deaths in 19 other high-income countries.
The numbers put the United States at the top of the list for crash deaths for its population and the most per registered vehicles. The U.S. also had the second highest percentage of crash deaths involving alcohol at 31 percent and the third lowest front seat belt use at 87 percent.
The second highest crash death rate was in Belgium and the fewest crash deaths were recorded in Sweden in 2013. If the rates were matched in the United States, there would have been 12,000 and 24,000 fewer deaths respectively and up to $140 million to $281 million saved in direct medical costs.
"It is important to compare us not to our past but to our potential," Dr. Debra Houry, director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a statement. "Seeing that other high-income countries are doing better, we know we can do better too. People of our nation deserve better and safer transport."
The CDC analyzed data from the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Separate CDC data shows that in 2013, more than 530 people died in crashes in Maryland that amounted to $6 million in direct medical costs.
Other countries included in the latest review were Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Erin Sauber-Schatz, of the transportation safety team lead at the CDC's injury prevention center, said that if everyone wore seat belts an estimated 3,000 more lives would be saved annually. Another 10,000 deaths could be averted if there was no more alcohol-impaired driving.
To further reduce crash deaths, the agency also recommended use of seat belts in front and rear seats, proper use of booster and car seats for children through age 8, enforcement of speed limit and distracted driving laws.