Aug. 16 (UPI) -- More than 18,000 people have been killed on U.S. roads so far this year -- down 1 percent from a year ago -- but a new report says overall deaths remain historically high.
"The country is fresh off the steepest estimated two-year increase in motor vehicle deaths since 1964, and it is too early to conclude whether the upward trend is over," the National Safety Council said in a statement. "The estimated deaths during the first six months of 2017 still are 8 percent higher than the 2015 six-month estimates.