Dec 14th, 2008 by RJ Menezes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2008 will be a record year for traffic fatalities in this country. Not record high, but rather, record lows. You see that’s because according to the NHTSA 31, 110 people died in traffic-related accidents this year compared to 34, 502 people for 2007. That means that 3,392 people are still walking around compared to last year.
But a lot can be to blame for this sharp decrease in fatalities. One could argue it’s because people are simply driving less these days. With gas prices just now starting to be sold at sane prices, people really were affected. The Federal Highway Administration states that average vehicle miles fell 4.3 percent in March compared the same time last year.
This marks the first time since 1979 that people have driven less than the previous year and was the “sharpest yearly drop for any month in the history” of the Federal Highway Administration, the government said in a statement.
It is interesting to see how traffic fatalities rise and fall in direct correlation with the rise and fall of gas prices. Cheaper gas sees people driving more and therefore getting into more accidents. The increase in fuel prices can actually curb this factor, at least to an extent.
Source: Inside Line