U.S. Traffic Fatalities Continued to Surge in First Half of 2016 Deaths rose 9%, extending a trend that began two years ago as the economy improved and travel increased Traffic fatalities were up 9% in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year. By Beckie Strum Traffic fatalities rose 9% in the first six months of 2016, compared with a year earlier, as a stronger economy and falling gas prices encouraged Americans to spend more time behind the wheel, the National Safety Council said on Tuesday. Traffic fatalities have been trending upward since 2014,...