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(March 11) -- Amid all the worries about safety troubles with Toyota cars comes some actual good news about traffic safety: Almost 4,000 fewer people died in traffic accidents in 2009 than the year before -- a nearly 9 percent drop. Preliminary data released today by the Department of Transportation also found that the fatality rate dropped to the lowest level on record.
Of course, that still means that 33,963 people died in motor vehicle crashes last year -- almost 100 a day.
That's the equivalent of about five full-capacity 747s crashing each month. Another way to look at it: Last year's highway death toll is nearly eight times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since that war started seven years ago, and almost twice the number of people murdered in the U.S. in a given year.
As Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood put it: "This is exciting news, but there are still far too many people dying in traffic accidents."
LaHood attributed the decline to stepped-up efforts on driver behavior and public campaigns like "Click It or Ticket." As auto safety expert Leonard Evans pointed out in a recent op-ed for AOL News, these sorts of campaigns hold the most promise for continued improvements. Evans noted that several other countries have made far more progress than the U.S. against highway deaths by focusing more on driver behavior than safety technology and auto recalls.
Of course, that still means that 33,963 people died in motor vehicle crashes last year -- almost 100 a day.
That's the equivalent of about five full-capacity 747s crashing each month. Another way to look at it: Last year's highway death toll is nearly eight times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since that war started seven years ago, and almost twice the number of people murdered in the U.S. in a given year.
As Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood put it: "This is exciting news, but there are still far too many people dying in traffic accidents."
LaHood attributed the decline to stepped-up efforts on driver behavior and public campaigns like "Click It or Ticket." As auto safety expert Leonard Evans pointed out in a recent op-ed for AOL News, these sorts of campaigns hold the most promise for continued improvements. Evans noted that several other countries have made far more progress than the U.S. against highway deaths by focusing more on driver behavior than safety technology and auto recalls.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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