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Kentucky Highway Deaths at 64-Year Low

Kentucky Highway Deaths at 64-Year Low
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Apr. 22, 2014 | FRANKFORT, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 22, 2014 | 04:06 PM | FRANKFORT, KY
Kentucky highway deaths fell to a 64-year low in 2013, a 14 percent reduction from the previous year.

On Tuesday, The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety released final statistics for 2013. There were 638 fatalities last year, an improvement from 746 fatalities the prior year.

Of the 638 fatalities last year, 483 were in motor vehicles. Of those killed, 245 were not buckled up and 138 of fatalities involved drugs or alcohol. Motorcyclists accounted for 79 fatalities, with 53 not wearing helmets.

“The good news is that 108 fewer lives were lost,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “The bad news is that 638 people lost loved ones on Kentucky roadways – a number that is unacceptable, as one fatality is too many.”

Governor Beshear’s Executive Committee on Highway Safety has a strategic highway safety plan titled “Toward Zero Deaths,” which focuses on four elements: engineering, education, enforcement and emergency response.

Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock, the governor’s designated highway safety representative and chair of the committee, said the data-driven, comprehensive plan includes collaboration from stakeholders at every level — federal, state, local and private — to identify safety needs and guide investment decisions.

“If our effort results in just one life being saved, it will have been worth it,” said Secretary Hancock. “However, as our plan indicates, we will not rest until the number is zero.”

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