http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/us/traffic-deaths-up-more-than-10-percent-in-first-half-of-2016.html 2016-10-05 22:16:46 Traffic Deaths Up More Than 10 Percent in First Half of 2016 Auto fatalities rose to 17,775 in the first six months of the year from 16,100 in the same period in 2015. === Traffic deaths in the United States rose 10.4 percent in the first half of this year compared with fatalities from the same period in 2015, maintaining a steady and troublesome climb. The numbers were released on Wednesday by the But that does not account for the rise in the number of deaths: to 17,775 in the first six months of 2016 from 16,100 in the same period in 2015. Officials have not identified any specific cause for the most recent increase. “It is too soon to attribute contributing factors or potential implications of any changes in deaths on our roadways,” The dire statistics were the latest bad news from the traffic safety adminstration. The rate of fatalities has increased for seven consecutive quarters compared with traffic deaths in the corresponding quarters of previous years, dating to the final months of 2014. The statistics were released as federal officials announced a “ But advanced technology, like the introduction of driverless cars, figures to play prominently in the long-term plans. The Obama administration Still, the view that computers can operate vehicles more safely than humans In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York