The nation’s highways got deadlier in the first 6 months of 2016 | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Traffic fatalities increased 10.4 percent in the first half of this year, according to projections from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From January to June, 17,775 people died on the nation’s roadways, compared with 16,100 in the first six months of 2015, the agency estimated.

That estimate would make the first half of 2016 the deadliest on U.S. roads since 2008.

The rate of fatalities per 100 million miles driven also increased to 1.12 from 1.05 in the first half of 2015. It was still well below the rate of 1.38 set in the first half of 2006.

The Federal Highway Administration reported a 3.3 percent increase in miles driven in the first half of this year, an increase of about 50 billion miles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in August that 2015 saw the largest increase in traffic fatalities in 50 years.

This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Safety Council announced an effort to end all highway fatalities within the next 30 years.

The coalition will initially focus on simple strategies such as increasing seatbelt use, installing rumble strips, educating drivers and redesigning roadways.

Automated vehicle technology could play a big role in reaching the goal.

“Our vision is simple – zero fatalities on our roads,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement Wednesday. “We know that setting the bar for safety to the highest possible standard requires commitment from everyone to think differently about safety.”