This year about 42,500 people, give or take 1,000, will die in traffic accidents in the U.S. Though terrible, it could be a lot worse. Without the advances on our following list of Top 10 Safety Systems, the per-mile death rate might be the same as 1966. That would mean more than 160,000 would be killed. This year and next year�and the next. And 1966 was far from the worst for per-mile fatalities.