2010 has the safest start of any year on record

February 1, 2010

January had the lowest number of traffic deaths in Wisconsin of any month on record, going back to 1937 when the state began compiling monthly fatality figures.  Last month, 21 people died in 19 traffic crashes in Wisconsin, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).  The state’s previous all-time lowest fatality month occurred in January 1943 with 22 traffic deaths. The deadliest January was in 1964 with 82 fatalities.

Traffic deaths last month were 14 fewer than in January 2009 and 27 fewer than the five-year average for the month of January.

Traffic deaths in Wisconsin generally have been declining since the fall of 2007, according to Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. Last year, 544 people died as the result of traffic crashes, which was the lowest annual total since 1944.

“We’re certainly encouraged that in terms of traffic deaths, 2010 has had the safest start of any year on record,” Hughes said. “There’s no single reason for this decline. However, we know that most fatal crashes are caused by drivers’ behavior. By making better decisions behind the wheel, drivers deserve a great deal of credit for the decline in traffic deaths.  We also know that the efforts of law enforcement officers and emergency medical responders combined with effective traffic safety messages in the media are helping to save lives and prevent injuries on our roadways.”

For more information, contact:
Dennis Hughes, Bureau of Transportation Safety
(608) 267-9075, dennis.hughes@dot.wi.gov