U.S. Traffic Fatalities Hit 60-Year Low
It’s always great to get some good new regarding traffic. And this recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) falls into the good new category – they say that the number of fatalities on America’s highways is at its lowest level since 1950.
Compared to 2008, deaths caused by vehicle collisions fell by 9.2 percent last year. The fatality rate has dropped to 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled as of 2009. The NHTSA credits both seat-belt use and campaigns to combat drunk driving for the decline.
Also decreasing in numbers are motorcycle fatalities. The Detroit News reports that these types of accidents have decreased by 16 percent compared to 2009. This drop is the first to happen in over 10 years, but no one is quite sure why that is.
Even though those numbers look pretty good, the NHTSA thinks we can still do better. In 2009, more than 30,000 people died and over 2.4 million people were injured in traffic collisions. There’s always room for improvement.
[Source: Detroit News and Automotive News]
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