Lytx 2025 Road Safety Report: trends and risks for commercial fleets

This year’s report highlights the latest trends in collisions, risky driving behaviors, the most dangerous times and locations for driving

Lytx’s Annual Report, titled “2025 Road Safety Report,” analyzes commercial fleet driving data and reveals key trends in road safety, as well as emerging risks most frequently faced by commercial drivers.

In 2024, Americans drove more than 3.3 trillion miles, according to the report and data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This increase has both positive and negative implications: on one hand, it serves as a barometer of the country’s economy, reflecting stability; on the other, the rise in traffic has made collisions the leading road risk.

According to the 2025 Road Safety Report, after a steady decline between 2018 and 2020, collision rates and risky driving behaviors have been on the rise again since 2023, due to the ongoing increase in nationwide traffic volume.

Road risks and trends for commercial fleets

This year’s report highlights the latest trends in collisions, risky driving behaviors, the most dangerous times and locations for driving, as well as the positive impact of safe driving and the growing need for fleets to address these emerging risks, according to Lytx. Among the risk trends analyzed, Lytx found the following:

Collision and near-collision rates

Collision rates per vehicle rose 24% across the industry from Q3 2023 to Q4 2024. However, Lytx data shows a significant improvement in the severity of these incidents. Level 1 collisions (the most severe) decreased by 6%, and Level 2 collisions (moderate severity) fell by 59%. This decline is attributed to the use of proactive driver coaching and technology, according to Lytx.

On the other hand, the number of near-collisions (incidents that almost resulted in a crash) increased by 52% when comparing Q4 2024 with the same period in 2023. This rise reflects the impact of increasingly congested roads across the country.

Risky driving behaviors

Among the most notable changes between 2023 and 2024, Lytx found a 9% increase in speeding violations and a 7% increase in eating or drinking while driving. Meanwhile, seatbelt non-use decreased by 13%, and handheld device use dropped by 9%.

Following distance

There was a 2% increase in drivers maintaining a 1-to-2-second following distance, while those following at less than 1 second increased by 19%. These figures emphasize the need to reinforce safe following distance policies through coaching and ongoing communication, Lytx stressed.

Impact of weather conditions

In addition to driver behavior, weather conditions play a significant role in vehicle crashes. Lytx reported that driving too fast for weather conditions makes drivers four times more likely to be involved in a Level 1 collision. Fog was identified as the most dangerous weather condition, increasing the risk of a severe crash by 2.8 times. Winter, overall, doubles the risk of collisions compared to other seasons.

Most common risky driving behaviors

According to the 2025 Road Safety Report, although drivers showed improvement in seatbelt use and making full stops at intersections, following distance worsened. Eating and drinking while driving also became one of the most common risky behaviors compared to the previous year. The most common risky driving behaviors in 2024, according to Lytx, were:

Following distance
Handheld device use
Lack of seatbelt use
Speeding violations
Incomplete stops
Eating or drinking while driving
Failure to stop
Inattention

Lytx also found that certain dates and times are more prone to accidents:

Tuesday was the riskiest day to drive, while Sunday was the safest in the U.S.
The highest risk period was between 11 AM and 3 PM, peaking at 2 PM.
New Year’s Eve was the most dangerous holiday to drive in 2024, while in 2023, it was Christmas—highlighting the growing risks associated with holiday driving. Overall, there was a 12% increase in collisions on major U.S. holidays.
The states with the highest driving risks were California, Texas, and New York.