One good thing about high gas prices:
posted by
Dookie The Webmaster
6:26 AM
Highway deaths down in 35 states
Highway deaths across the nation are down sharply so far this year compared with 2007, according to preliminary data tracked by state police and transportation agencies.
Deaths declined in 35 of the 37 states that provided data for January through April, May or June. Fatalities also were down in the District of Columbia. Many of the declines were significant - more than 10% in 30 states, and more than 20% in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
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"The decline in fatalities is great news, and 2008 has the potential to be a banner year for highway safety," says Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which represents state highway safety offices. "However, it's way too early to reach conclusions about what the trend means. It's impossible to draw significant policy implications from one full year of data, let alone the limited data we have for 2008."
Harsha says high gasoline prices discouraging some Americans to drive might be a factor in the decline of fatalities, but it's "premature" to draw that conclusion. Other factors might be stronger laws for seat-belt use and stepped-up enforcement, she says.
Buckle up
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