40 year low in Delaware highway deaths

Fatal accidents on Delaware’s roads dropped 10% in 2010, while the number of people killed on the state’s roads was down 14%.  It’s the lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1968.

Despite the reduction, there were still 101 people killed on Delaware’s roads last year, compared to 118 in 2009.  Director of the State Office of Highway Safety  Jana Simpler says, “While even one loss is too many, the good news is that fewer people died in crashes this year than last year.”  She says, “We are constantly striving to implement the most effective strategies possible in an effort to prevent deaths and injuries on our roadways.”

While the number of deaths in crashes was down, the number of pedestrians killed was up.  Fifteen pedestrians were killed in 2009, while 22 were killed walking on the roads in 2010.  “We will continue to work with our partners to create innovative countermeasures for 2011 in hopes of reducing the number of pedestrians killed,” says Simpler.

Aggressive driving remains one of the top causes of fatal accidents.  Of the state’s 92 fatal crashes, 42% were attributed to aggressive driving.  Failing to grant the right of way and speeding are the main aggressive driving activities to blame for fatalities.

As part of the ongoing effort to keep the number of crashes and fatalities down, the state will launch another DUI enforcement effort this month tied to the NFL playoffs which start this weekend.