Kentucky Office of Highway Safety Director Noel Hunter calls the state’s fatality total for 2016 “incredibly frustrating.”
The Commonwealth had 834 vehicle-related deaths last year. That was 73 more than the previous year.
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Hunter says more that 36 percent of the fatalities involved speeding or aggressive driving and 23% involved distracted driving. “The technological advances are supposed to help us. But, in many ways people using GPS and using things like that in their car, they also contribute to these driver distractions,” Hunter said.
Hunter sees another major factor in the state’s increasing fatalities is the number of unbelted drivers and passengers. She says of the 834 people who lost their lives on roadways last year, just over 50% were not wearing seatbelts. “It’s hovered right at the 50 or 51% over the last several years and so I guess we could say it’s not getting any worse, but it’s certainly not getting any better,” noted Hunter.
The state released fatality statistics last week.
