U.S. traffic deaths rise to 7.2 percent read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/728-u-s-traffic-deaths-rise-to-7-2-percent

Almost half of passenger vehicle occupants killed last year were not wearing safety belts, although the belts are standard equipment in all cars and required to be worn in some U.S. states

The number of accidents was near initial estimates issued nearly two months ago.

Last year 35,092 people died in traffic crashes in the United States, a 7.2 percent year-on-year increase that runs counter to a five-decade trend of declining accidents the U.S. Transportation Department said.

U.S. officials said lower gasoline prices combined with job growth increased the number of miles driven last year by the highest rate in nearly 25 years.

 Distracted driving was cited in about a tenth of traffic fatalities in 2015,

Almost one in three fatalities involved drunk drivers or speeding. The number of vehicle miles traveled in the United States increase up to 3.5 percent in 2015 from a year earlier.