Report: Nationwide, Traffic Deaths Lowest Since 1949

Tougher DUI laws and stricter seatbelt enforcement are saving lives in Will County, according to police.

Reacting to an U.S. Department of Transportation report showing traffic fatalities are the lowest they’ve been in six decades, Romeoville Sgt. Brant Hromadka said more people are buckling up — and taking heed of anti-drunken driving warnings.

According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2010 saw the lowest number of U.S. traffic deaths since 1949. In Illinois, IDOT and the Illinois State Police reported fewer than 1,000 fatalities in both 2009 and 2010, a record two-year low.

Almost halfway through 2011, the same pattern seems to be holding in Will County, where eight separate crashes have claimed nine victims this year, according to Illinois Department of Transportation data. In 2010, 48 people were killed on Will County roads, and 37 travelers died in local crashes in 2009. Going back to 2006, there were 66 Will County traffic fatalities.

In Romeoville, the number of accidents involving an injury or fatality also has declined, Hromadka said

“We’ve had a decrease in serious crashes,” he said. In 2010, Romeoville crashes killed two people. The year 2009 saw a slight spike in the number of traffic deaths with four people killed in three crashes.

“Unfortunately, two people died in a train accident,” Hromadka said, referring to the death of a Joliet couple whose car was struck by an Amtrak train at New Avenue and 135th Street.

But on the whole, “For the last three years, accidents have been down pretty significantly,” Hromadka said.

So far in 2011, there haven’t been any traffic deaths in Romeoville, he added.

The number of local drunken driving arrests also has dropped, he said, citing stricter DUI laws, including the state’s Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) program. Now, in order to receive a restricted driving permit, residents convicted of certain DUI offenses must have a device installed in their vehicle that requires a breath sample before the vehicle can be started. Convicted motorists also must provide breath samples at random intervals while the vehicle is being driven.

“It’s the embarrassment factor, too,” Hromadka said, noting no one wants their friends to see them driving around with a BAIID in their car.

Hromadka said laws against texting or e-mailing while driving also could be a factor in the decrease in serious crashes, while the state’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign also appears to be yielding results. He believes injuries and fatalities are down in part because of the fact that more Illinois residents are wearing their seatbelts.

“It’s at 91 or 93 percent for the State of Illinois right now,” Hromadka said.

On Tuesday, police were at working to make teens aware of the importance of buckling up. As part of a pre-prom safety initiative, cops conducted seatbelt checks on campus, doling out candy bars to students who were strapped in.

“We gave them to teachers, too,” Hromadka added.

By the numbers

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projections:

• Nationwide, traffic fatalities fell 3 percent between 2009 and 2010.
• Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent.
• In 2010, the U.S. reported the lowest traffic fatality rate since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
• The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.