The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 32,885 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2010, the fewest fatalities since 1949, when 30,246 people died.
Unfortunately, Connecticut did not participate in that trend. According to NHTSA, Connecticut led the 50 states with the greatest increase in fatalities, going from 224 in 2009 to 319 in 2010, a 42% jump. The report did not cite reasons for the increase.
According to NHTSA, the national figures represent a 2.9% drop from the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009, and a drop in the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2010 to a historic low of 1.10. But there was a 4.2% increase in the number of pedestrians killed, up from 4,109 in 2009 to 4,280 in 2010, and a 19% increase in the number of pedestrians injured, up from 59,000 to 70,000.
The federal agency also found that alcohol-impaired driving deaths declined by 4.9% in 2010 and accounted for 31% of motor vehicle fatalities nationally.
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System is a census of all crashes of motor vehicles traveling on public roadways in which a person died within 30 days of the crash. The report, also includes data on crash types and location, seat belt use, and fatal crashes involving large trucks.
