With traffic fatalities topping 40,000, last year stands to be the deadliest on the nation's roads in almost a decade, according to a national safety organization's estimates released Wednesday.
In Arkansas and nationwide, there have been double-digit percentage increases in the number of traffic deaths since 2014, estimates provided by the National Safety Council show.
The national nonprofit attributed the increase in roadway fatalities to people traveling more miles in recent years because of an improved economy and lower gas prices.
State and nonprofit officials also said distracted driving, particularly people using cellphones, has factored in the rise in traffic accidents and fatal crashes.
[FATAL WRECKS: Complete coverage of deadly crashes in Arkansas]
Last year's figures are the first time since 2007 that nationwide traffic deaths exceeded 40,000 people, according to estimates from the organization.
The National Safety Council estimates that 40,200 people died from traffic crashes nationwide in 2016 -- a 6 percent increase compared with 2015.
Last year's estimated total was up 14 percent from the 35,398 killed in traffic crashes in 2014, according to the council.
The National Safety Council, which issued its first national fatalities estimate in 1921, compiles preliminary fatal-crash numbers from the various states. A council official said that in most years the council's estimates have been within 1 percent of what the final numbers turn out to be.
In Arkansas, preliminary crash figures from the Arkansas State Police indicate a jump in the number of traffic deaths from 2014 to 2016.
Those preliminary figures show 547 fatal crashes in 2016, up from 534 in 2015 and 469 in 2014.
"Every one of these deaths is preventable," said Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics at the National Safety Council.
Kolosh said a rebound from the 2008 economic recession has led to more people traveling more miles, a factor that has increased roadway fatalities nationwide.
The council estimated a 3 percent increase in the number of miles driven in the U.S. last year.
People are driving more miles for work and have more money to spend on recreational travel, said Mike Right, a spokesman for the national motor club AAA.
The more miles traveled, the greater the possibility of fatal crashes, he said.
Yet, even with the rise in traffic deaths in recent years, Right said, the U.S. has fewer motor vehicle deaths than compared with 20 years ago.
"To say that Armageddon has arrived isn't true," he said.
According to the council, there were 53,172 U.S. motor-vehicle deaths in 1980, 46,814 in 1990 and 43,354 in 2000.
Officials say the recent uptick is about more than merely miles traveled.
The number of people looking at their phones while driving has gone up, Kolosh said. "With new technology, it's becoming harder and harder for drivers to disconnect."
Danny Straessle, a spokesman for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, said drivers face many distractions while on the roads.
Fiddling with the radio and eating in the car can also be distractions, he said. "Distracted driving remains at an all time high."
To address the problem, the Arkansas State Police has increased patrols in certain areas where people are suspected of driving distracted, said Trooper Liz Chapman, a department spokesman.
Chapman said cellphone use is "the biggest thing we see on the road."
It's a constant battle to keep drivers off their phones, she said, but loud music or having multiple people in a car also can distract a driver.
Many people don't realize that driving is the most dangerous thing they do on a daily basis, Straessle said.
Over the past several years, the Highway Department has added safety enhancement features along state roadways, such as rumble strips and cable median barriers, he said.
Right said Arkansas' lack of motorcycle helmet laws also contributes to traffic fatalities. In 2014, 42 of the 67 people killed in motorcycle crashes weren't wearing helmets, according to state police statistics.
"That's not the case in states that have helmet laws," he said.
Arkansas does not require a person of 21 years or older to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle.
"It's foolish, it's like riding around without a seat belt on," Right said.
Chapman said not wearing helmets is the No. 1 reason that people in motorcycle accidents die.
Even if a rider has years of experience, she said, others on the road can be careless around motorcycles and cause them to crash.
Metro on 02/16/2017