Florida, Georgia Among States Showing Declines in Auto Deaths

Automobile fatalities declined in 40 states in 2008, a sign that traffic deaths could dip to their lowest levels in four decades.

The Governors Highway Safety Association said that vehicle deaths dropped in 40 states and the District of Columbia out of 44 states they surveyed. The average decline was 10.7 percent, the safety group said.

“Clearly, the high gas prices in the first part of the year and the difficult economy in the second half caused people to drive less, thus reducing fatalities. However, there’s more occurring here than just economic factors,” said Barbara Harsha, executive director.

Harsha said the declines could also be attributed to seat belt use reaching a record high of 83 percent in 2008 and increased enforcement of traffic laws. Many states also reported drivers reducing speed to boost fuel efficiency.

Among large states, Florida’s highway fatalities dropped 6.8 percent, Illinois’ fell by 16 percent, Ohio’s declined by 4 percent and Michigan’s fell by 7.7 percent.

Georgia saw decreases of 12 percent and New Jersey’s fatalities dropped 18 percent. Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia all saw declines of 20 percent or more.

Fatalities increased in Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware and New Hampshire.

Several states, including New York, California, Pennsylvania and Texas were not in the survey.

The preliminary results were consistent with a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December that found auto fatalities dropped 10 percent in 2008 from the months of January though October. If the trend held up during the year’s last two months, deaths could reach their lowest level in 42 years.

The Federal Highway Administration has reported steep declines in the number of miles Americans are driving .

Web resource:
Governors Highway Safety Association: http://www.ghsa.org/.