US traffic deaths soared by more than 18 per cent in the first six months of 2021 from the same period a year earlier, for the most deadly first half on American roads since 2006, the Transportation Department said on Thursday. Traffic deaths surged after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020 as more drivers engaged in unsafe behaviour like speeding and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, regulators said. That made for the largest six-month increase ever recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history, which has been in use since 1975. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 20,160 people died in car crashes in the first six months of 2021 in the United States, up 3,140 over the same period in 2020.