Highway Deaths at Lowest Level in 60 Years

(Sept. 9) -- Fewer people died on U.S. highways last year than in any year since 1950 -- a huge drop in fatalities that the government credits to greater use of seat belts, safer cars and tougher drunken driving laws.

In 2009, 33,808 people died in U.S. car crashes -- a 9.7 percent drop from the previous year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, picked up by several news outlets. The figure is the lowest in 60 years.

The record is all the more remarkable considering that in 1950, only one-fifth as many vehicles were on the road as there are today.

The decrease in highway deaths comes even though Americans are spending more time on the road: On average, motorists drove two-tenths of a percent more last year than in 2008. Factoring in those added miles, the death rate fell to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million miles driven in 2009, compared with 1.26 deaths for the same distance a year earlier.

"Today's numbers reflect the tangible benefits of record seat belt use and strong anti-drunk-driving enforcement campaigns," NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said in the statement excerpted by Bloomberg News.

The new figures show traffic deaths are down in every category, even among motorcyclists. The U.S. saw 850 fewer motorcyclists killed in 2009 than the year before, breaking an 11-year streak of increases. Drunken driving deaths also fell by 7.4 percent.

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"We could not be happier, but we are not going to sit back on our laurels. We have a long, long way to go," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, according to USA Today.

One of the things LaHood has focused on since President Barack Obama appointed him in December 2008 is distracted driving, particularly among motorists using cell phones or hand-held devices. He's urged states to pass tougher restrictions on drivers texting behind the wheel.

LaHood's "focus on distracted driving has brought an unprecedented focus to behavioral highway safety, and as a result, lives are being saved," Barbara Harsha, executive director for the Governors Highway Safety Association, told The Associated Press.