Traffic deaths lowest since '54

A few months ago, when state traffic safety officials across the country began attributing the drop in highway deaths to their safety programs, Iowa's Tom Welch flipped on his hazard lights.

You can't ignore the lousy economy and higher gas prices, he said.

“Don't go taking full credit,” Iowa's state transportation safety engineer cautioned his peers.

When the economy rebounds and more people are back on the roads, fatalities could go back up. Then, he said, people will be asking: “Where did you fail?”

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported Thursday that the number of traffic fatalities in 2009 fell to the lowest level since 1954, declining for the 15th straight quarter.

The department put the year's death count at just under 34,000, a drop of about 9 percent from the 37,000-plus deaths in 2008.

The fatality rate for 2009 also fell to the lowest on record — 1.16 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Federal officials attributed the drop to a combination of factors, including public safety campaigns promoting seat belt use and targeting drunken and distracted driving.

They also pointed to safer roads, safer vehicles and fewer miles driven.

Bill Mulherin, vice president of programs at the Greater Omaha Chapter of the National Safety Council, said traffic safety folks use the “four E's” when looking at the factors at play in fatality and injury rates:

ŸEducation, such as traffic safety classes, driver's education and public service messages.

ŸEngineering, meaning things like air bags, seat belts, vehicle crumple zones, all-wheel drive and traffic signs, rumble strips and guardrails.

ŸEnforcement — what law enforcement officers do.

ŸEmergency services, such as medical technicians who respond to crashes and medical helicopters.

Maj. Russ Stanczyk of the Nebraska State Patrol said 2008 was a down year for fatalities in the state because many people cut way back on driving as gasoline hit $4 a gallon — consolidating trips, taking fewer pleasure rides.

Nationally, the number of vehicle miles traveled dropped from 3.03 billion in 2007 to 2.926 billion in 2008, U.S. Department of Transportation figures show.

The Iowa Transportation Department's Welch said that with higher unemployment, fewer drivers are on the roads during rush hours, cutting down on congestion and decreasing the number of aggressive drivers.

And although gas prices are down from their 2008 peak, fewer people are driving long distances for vacations, he said. That obviously reduces the total miles driven while also decreasing the number of drowsy or distracted drivers who might cause crashes because of the many hours they have spent behind the wheel on such trips.

In addition, Welch said, alcohol sales in restaurants and bars are down, while alcohol sales in grocery stores are up.

“People are drinking more at home,” he said, thereby decreasing the number of impaired drivers on the roads.

Welch also noted that fewer teenagers are getting driver's licenses than a couple of years ago — possibly, he said, because their families can't afford insurance and maintenance on another car. And restrictions on young drivers are limiting how much time teens can spend behind the wheel.

Rose White, spokeswoman for AAA Nebraska, said another factor in the drop in fatalities is child safety seats. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says placing children in the proper car seats and booster seats reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half.

The Nebraska State Patrol's Stanczyk said the goal is no traffic fatalities, but the national benchmark is 1 fatality per 100 million miles driven. For Nebraska to reach that mark, the state would need to record no more than 195 fatalities this year, he said.

So far, Nebraska is on track to better that mark. “We're hoping that continues,” he said.

Of course, it's only March.

Contact the writer:

444-1109, bob.glissmann@owh.com