A photo of a 2015 crash that took the life of a victim in Lower Makefield.
Credit: Submitted
Traffic deaths across Pennsylvania hit a record low last year.
Officials said Monday that a record low of 1,188 fatalities were reported on Pennsylvania roadways in 2016. The number is a new record low that stretches back to when records were first tracked in 1928.
From state officials:
While the number of highway deaths dropped in many types of crashes, there were significant decreases noted in run-off the road, hit fixed object, and drinking driver fatalities. Fatalities in run-off the road crashes dropped from 580 in 2015 to 518. Hit fixed object fatalities also decreased from 459 in 2015 to 401 last year. Deaths attributed to drinking-driver-related crashes declined to 263, down from 306 in 2015.
Fatalities increased in some types of crashes. There were 279 fatalities that occurred at intersections, up from 251 in 2015. Also, pedestrian deaths resulting from crashes increased to 172 up from 153 in 2015.
“Our biggest priority is to keep the public safe through innovation, roadway improvements, and educational outreach,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “As fatality numbers continue to trend downward, we still need to change driver behavior, keeping in mind that each person killed in a crash is a member of someone’s family.”
PennDOT is currently working on a plan that aims to reduce traffic deaths to zero.
