Updated 1/30/2007 9:14 AM ET
By Larry Copeland, Alan Gomez and Oren Dorell, USA TODAY

Traffic deaths dropped substantially in 16 states last year, in many
cases reflecting stepped-up enforcement and education campaigns,
according to a USA TODAY analysis of statistics reported by the
states.

Highway fatalities fell by at least 5% in those 16 states. In nine
other states, deaths rose by at least that much. Texas and Georgia
reported preliminary declines of more than 5%, but traffic safety
agencies in those states expect the final totals to rise
significantly.

While the fatality numbers are preliminary and unofficial, they show
startling drops in some states. Safety officials attribute the
declines in part to coordinated programs aimed at careless or reckless
driving.

"This was the safest year on Ohio roads on record," says Lt. Tony
Bradshaw of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He says 1,238 people died
on the state's roads last year, a 6.6% drop from 2005.

Bradshaw attributes the decline to enforcement and education efforts
and new research initiatives that enable state troopers to focus on
areas where crashes are most likely to occur.

Illinois saw traffic deaths fall below 1,300, the lowest total since
1924. Road deaths there have been dropping every year since 2003, when
the state enacted a law that allows police to stop motorists solely
for not wearing seat belts.

"These numbers represent clear and convincing evidence to us that the
law is working and seat belts really do save lives," Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich says.

Last year, three other states - Alaska, Kentucky and Mississippi -
enacted such laws, bringing the number to 25. All three states
reported declines in traffic deaths. Officials in Kentucky and
Mississippi attributed the drops to the new law.

Among other factors cited in states that had drops in traffic
fatalities: stiffer drunken-driving laws, police checkpoints aimed at
aggressive driving, improved highway design, and graduated license
programs and other safety efforts targeting young drivers.

Several states are still collecting data from county and local law
enforcement agencies and say their 2006 fatality figures could rise.

States report their highway death numbers to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which analyzes the figures before
issuing a preliminary national fatality total, usually in August.
NHTSA releases its official tally in the fall. The 2006 total is not
likely to show major changes from 2005. Since 1995, the annual total
has ranged between 41,000 and 43,000.

Still to be calculated is each state's traffic fatality rate, which is
the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S.
fatality rate, which had been dropping for more than 10 years, rose to
1.47 in 2005 from 1.45 in 2004, according to NHTSA data.

National highway safety experts caution that the preliminary 2006
statistics should not be viewed as evidence of trends. "It's
impossible to draw conclusions or see a trend in just one year to the
next in state data, because the fluctuations are often very large in
any one state's fatality figures," says Anne McCartt, senior vice
president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
"Even something as basic as the weather can affect traffic
fatalities."

"You have to look at vehicle miles traveled, the cost of gas, whether
people were driving as much," says Judie Stone, president of Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety. "To give full credit to (enforcement and
education efforts) is probably not fair. And I say that as someone who
would love to give full credit."

In states where fatalities rose substantially, agencies cited
increases in pedestrian deaths, aggressive driving, drunken driving
and speeding as factors.
http://tinyurl.com/38snxz

[See url for state-by-state table]
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- gpsman