Traffic deaths in August tied for second lowest since World War II

In August, 64 people died in 59 Wisconsin traffic crashes, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  In terms of traffic deaths, last month tied with August 1960 as the second safest month of August since World War II. The lowest fatality total for August was set last year with 56 traffic deaths.  The deadliest month of August was in 1969 with 154 traffic deaths, which remains the worst single month in Wisconsin history.

The fatalities for August 2007 also were 11 fewer than the five-year average of 75 fatalities for the month of August.

As of August 31, a total of 489 people have died in Wisconsin traffic crashes during 2007, including 80 motorcycle drivers, three motorcycle passengers, five bicyclists and 37 pedestrians.  Traffic deaths through August were 30 more than during the same period in 2005 but 35 fewer than the five-year average. 

During the Labor Day holiday weekend, eight people died in eight crashes between 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31, and midnight on Monday, Sept. 3. Last year, nine people died during the Labor Day weekend.

“Several factors may have contributed to a near-record low in traffic deaths in August, ” says Dennis Hughes, manager of safety programs for the State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety.  “The recent unrelenting rainfall in southern Wisconsin might have reduced the overall amount of traffic and helped moderate speeds slightly, especially on rural highways.  In addition, the recently concluded Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest statewide law enforcement crackdown from Aug. 17 through Labor Day was a deterrent to impaired driving, which accounts for more than 40 percent of all traffic fatalities in Wisconsin. Law enforcement agencies also mobilized to combat speeding and aggressive driving on major highways, including the Interstate corridor in southern Wisconsin and US 41 from Milwaukee to Marinette. It’s no great secret that if more people slow down, drive sober, and buckle up then traffic deaths will go down.”

###

NOTE: View this document on the Web at: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/news/index.htm.