Thursday, December 11, 2008
Contact: Sarah Echols, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
DOT 175-08
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Announces New Data Showing
Record Low Highway Fatalities; Americans Safer than ever on the Nation’s Roads,
Rails, and in the Skies
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today said the number of people
killed in traffic crashes is expected to reach a new record low in 2008, with
early projections showing an almost 10 percent drop in highway traffic deaths in
the first 10 months of this year.
The Secretary made the announcement today in Kansas City where she also outlined
key safety benchmarks that have been achieved across all areas of
transportation.
“Our focus on safety – from our highways, railways, seaways and airways – has
led to one of the safest periods in our nation’s transportation history,”
Secretary Peters said. “Every American can be more confident than ever they will
arrive at their destination safe and sound.”
The Secretary said the new fatality data marks the first time the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration is able to project fatality figures prior
to the end of the calendar year. Using new electronic data gathering techniques,
the Department is working to make projections in near real time to “give safety
professionals the data they need to keep motorists safe,” she said.
Early estimates show that 31,110 people died on the nation’s roads from January
through October, compared to 34,502 in 2007 during that same 10-month time
period. In addition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicles miles traveled
for the first nine months of 2008 is 1.28, compared to 1.37 for 2007.
“For the second year in a row we are seeing historic lows in deaths on our
nation’s roads,” Secretary Peters said. “While we are encouraged by these
declines, our work is not nearly complete in making our safe transportation
network even safer.”
NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from the 50 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce annual reports on traffic fatality trends.
The agency intends to update 2008 estimates regularly as more data becomes
available. The final counts for 2008 will be made available in the summer of
2009. To view the preliminary fatality statistics visit:
http://nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/NCSA/Content/RNotes/2008/811054.pdf
For more information on key transportation safety benchmarks in the United
States, please visit:
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/SafetyFactSheet.htm
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