U.S. Traffic Fatalities Rose 3% Last Year

Fatalities on American highways grew to 33,600 last year from 32,500 in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It was the first year-to-year increase since 2005. NHTSA says 72% of the difference occurred in the first quarter of 2012, and most involved pedestrians and motorcyclists.

The agency's data show that deaths involving drunk drivers rose 5% to 10,300 last year. Most involved motorists with blood-alcohol levels nearly twice the legal limit. Among the states, the ratio of fatalities involving alcohol-impaired driving was highest in Montana (44%) and lowest in Utah (16%).

NHTSA says nearly two-thirds of fatal crashes at night last year involved unrestrained occupants.

Motorcyclist fatalities climbed 7%, marking the third consecutive year of increase. Fatalities involving non-helmet-wearers were 10 times as high in states with no helmet laws as in states that require helmets.

NHTSA, which has begun tracking crashes blamed on distracted drivers, reports the number of such accidents that resulted in fatalities was unchanged at 3,300. The agency estimates that the number of people injured by distracted driving jumped 9% to 421,000 in 2012.