Economy leads to fewer traffic fatalities

A poor economy has produced one possible side benefit in the form of record low nationwide traffic fatalities.

This week, the Department of Transportation reported that traffic fatalities were at a record low last year, and highlighted rising seatbelt use as one of the main factors. However, last year was also a time of $4 dollar gasoline and falling consumer demand, which suggests that the low fatality figures were due to more than just seatbelts.

According to the DOT, 37,313 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2008, marking the lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1961. The fatality rate was also the lowest ever recorded, at 1.28 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

An Associated Press report notes that times of recession often result in lower highway fatalities. For example, the wire service notes that fatalities fell 16 percent during the recession of 1973-1974, and 11 percent during the recession of 1981-1982.

"The silver lining in a bad economy is that people drive less, and so the number of deaths go down. Not only do they drive less but the kinds of driving they do tend to be less risky - there's less discretionary driving," Adrian Lund of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told the AP.