Traffic Fatalities And Motor Vehicle Accidents Decline On State Roads

HARTFORD — There were no fatalities on state highways over the Christmas weekend and the number of motor vehicle accidents was down 79 from last year, state police said Tuesday.

There was at least one fatality on local roads, in Wallingford.

That news comes as a new legislative report shows Connecticut’s motor vehicle fatality rate declining 26 percent from 1993 to 2003, better than the national rate, which declined 15.4 percent.

“I think a lot of the proactive efforts on the part of everybody really contributes to the decline of fatal crashes,” said Sgt J. Paul Vance. “The intention really was to get the message out.”

Sgt Vance credits tougher enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, additional public education efforts, and new laws, such as restrictions on teen drivers, for helping to reduce the number of fatal crashes.

He said the state police, Department of Transportation, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are working together to make the roads safer.

In recent weeks, there have been television advertisements, billboards, and radio ads warning motorists to drive safely and soberly.

“It’s really refreshing that the average shows we are making progress in the right direction” Sgt Vance said.

A report released this month by the legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research found that Connecticut’s motor vehicle fatality rate, measured by the number of fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, is consistently less than the national rate. Connecticut’s rate has also declined more over time than the national rate.

For 2003, the most recent year for which data is available, the state’s fatality rate was 0.94 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled while the national rate was 1.48 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, according to the OLR report, which relied on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.