AUTO ACCIDENT ATTORNEY | Wrongful Death | Attorney G. Alan Tripp, Jr. | DRUNK DRIVING | Highway Deaths Lowest Since 1950

In addition, 2009 saw the lowest fatality and injury rates ever recorded: 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2009, compared to 1.26 deaths for 2008. 

Fatalities declined in all categories of vehicles including motorcycles, which saw fatalities fall by 850 from 2008, breaking an 11-year cycle of annual increases. 

In addition, the number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 declined for a tenth straight year in a row, falling an estimated 5.5 percent from 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Alcohol impaired driving fatalities declined by 7.4 percent in 2009 – 10,839 compared to 11,711 reported in 2008. Overall, 33 states and Puerto Rico experienced a decline in the number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2009 compared to 2008. 

“Today’s numbers reflect the tangible benefits of record seat belt use and strong anti-drunk driving enforcement campaigns,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “But we are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways, and about a third of these involve drunk driving.”