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.