The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a part of the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), has reported that there has been 9.3% rise in traffic deaths for the first three quarters of 2015.

According to the agency, 94% of the deaths occur due to human behaviour.

Based on its research, NHTSA estimates that over 26,000 people lost their lives in road accidents during the first nine months of 2015, compared to 23,796 deaths during the same period in 2014.

"We’re seeing red flags across the US and we’re not waiting for the situation to develop further."

The increase in the death rate across the various regions ranges from 2% to 20%.

The steep rise in traffic deaths in 2015 comes after years of gradual and stable decline in the fatality rate.

There was a sharp fall of over 22% from 2000 to 2014, with a drop of 1.2% in 2014 when compared to that of 2013.

The US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "For decades, US DOT has been driving safety improvements on our roads, and those efforts have resulted in a steady decline in highway deaths.

"But the apparent increase in 2015 is a signal that we need to do more.

One of the major reasons behind the rise in the death toll is the increase in the mileage covered by drivers nationwide.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reports that vehicle miles travelled (VMT) in the first nine months of 2015 increased by around 80.2 billion, while the fatality rate increased to 1.10 fatalities every 100 million VMT.

This number shows a rise from 1.05 traffic deaths every 100 million VMT in the first nine months of 2014.

NHTSA administrator Dr Mark Rosekind said: "We’re seeing red flags across the US and we’re not waiting for the situation to develop further.

"It’s time to drive behavioural changes in traffic safety and that means taking on new initiatives and addressing persistent issues like drunk driving and failure to wear seat belts."