PennDOT Says Traffic Fatalities Were At Historic Low in 2014, Statewide
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Pennsylvania transportation officials today released the traffic fatality figures for 2014, noting that the year had another record low for traffic deaths across the state.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick says the 1,195 traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania last year are the lowest since recordkeeping began in 1928.
"The trends for fatalities have been going down, which is really good news. And we've been working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has a nationwide goal of zero fatalities, so the federal government is investing a lot of money each year, along with state funds," Kirkpatrick says.
He adds that programs like DUI enforcement and safety messages funded with that money seem to be paying off, with a significant drop last year in drunk-driving related fatalities and deaths in which seatbelts weren't in use.
"Unbuckled fatalities dropped from 425 to 383, and deaths in drinking-driver related crashes declined from 342 to 294," Kirkpatrick tells KYW Newsradio.
Fatalities involving some types of crashes did increase, including utility pole accidents and those involving drowsy drivers.
Meanwhile, Penndot has unveiled an online crash data-searching tool available at dotcrashinfo.pa.gov.