The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the overall number of traffic fatalities reported in 2009 has reached the lowest levels since 1954. This news may indicate that U.S. roads are becoming safer, as the 2009 figures mark a 22 percent decline from 2005 when the number of traffic fatalities peaked.
The final traffic fatality figures won’t be available until summer 2010, but according to early projections the fatality rate reached the lowest ever recorded rate in 2009.