Nearly 18,000 people died on U.S. roadways in the first six months of this year, an increase of more than 10 percent of the same period in 2015, according to new estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

AS the effect of the Great Recession has waned, the number of people dying on the roadway has increased steadily since 2014. Â Drivers traveled about 50.5 billion miles more between January and June this year than they did last year.