By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – Nebraska's Traffic Fatality Rate for 2010 was the lowest since 1944.
Nebraska Department of Roads Director Monty Frederickson says the fatality total for last year was 186 compared to 166 in 1944-- an amazing achievement considering there are five times as many vehicles registered now as there were in 1944. He attributes the decrease to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, developed in 2007 by the heads of four state agencies. Frederickson says the purpose of the safety plan is to focus on lowering crash and fatality rates in the state. He says those five critical emphasis areas are, "increasing safety belt usage, keeping vehicles from leaving the road, reducing impaired driving, improving the design of intersections and addressing the over-involvement of young drivers in accidents."
Frederickson says the agencies are currently working together to set a new goal for 2015.