Department of Transportation Releases Latest Traffic Fatality Numbers
Posted on Fri, Apr 08, 2011 @ 09:20 AM
Great news has come out of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) latest report. On Friday April 1, 2011, the DOT released its 2010 figures pertaining to traffic fatalities. The report showed that fatalities are at an all time low.
The 2010 traffic fatality rate (fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) is the lowest recorded since 1949. The new total showed a 3 percent decrease in fatalities from 2009, which held the record until this past year. 2010 marks the second consecutive year that a new low has been reached in terms of traffic fatalities, and the DOT has again been a huge part in lessening this amount and again the number has been lowered.
The Department of Transportation launched many campaigns in hopes to lower the fatality rate. They initiated campaigns such as Over the Limit Under Arrest and Click It Or Ticket to fight drunk driving and to encourage drivers to wear their seatbelts. Also, the DOT created the website www.distraction.gov to deter distracted drivers as well as provide the public info on the dangers of distracted driving. They’ve hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, CT and Syracuse, NY. A lot has been done to bring these numbers down. And by the recent results, it has definitely paid off.
Between 2009 and 2010, fatalities fell from 33,808 to 32,788. There was also a decrease in fatality rate from 1.13 in 2009 (fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) to 1.09 in 2010. A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop (12 percent) in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.
On top of the general drop in fatalities, drunk driving related fatalities were down 7 percent in 2009 and 2010 is expected to return a lower total as well. Also, in 2009 84 percent of drivers wore seat belts, and with the Click It Or Ticket campaign that number should rise in 2010. Compare this to 1949, the year with the previous record for fewest fatalities, and you’ll see a huge increase considering it was the first year that American car companies even offered seat belts as options.
It is a good sign that drivers are getting back on the road after 2008 and 2009 showed decreases in vehicle miles traveled. It is an even better sign to see the number of deaths go down despite the increase in driving.