FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 1, 2019) – Preliminary figures indicate highway fatalities in Kentucky declined in 2018 to 722, down from 782 in 2017. According to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS), this is the second consecutive year that roadway fatalities have decreased.
KOHS Acting Executive Director Jason Siwula commends Kentuckians for being responsible behind the wheel and choosing to practice safe driving behaviors.
“We are encouraged by the reduction in fatalities, and we thank the traveling public for making choices behind the wheel, like buckling up and driving sober, that prevent the loss of life on Kentucky highways,” said Siwula. “It doesn’t go unnoticed that this year we observed that seat belt usage increased and fatalities decreased.”
According to data from the University of Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky’s seat belt usage rate rose from 86.8 percent in 2017 to 89.9 percent in 2018.
“While this achievement demonstrates safety is trending in the right direction, a single fatality is frankly one too many on our roadways,” said Siwula. “We are committed to continuing work with our local, state, federal and private industry highway safety partners until this number is zero.”
The fatality figures will remain preliminary until all highway crash data is collected. A final report will be released in April.
So far in 2019, preliminary numbers indicate there have been 44 roadway fatalities.
Kentucky’s history of highway fatalities:
2000 823
2001 843
2002 915
2003 931
2004 964
2005 985
2006 913
2007 864
2008 826
2009 791
2010 760
2011 721
2012 746
2013 638
2014 672
2015 761
2016 834
2017 782
2018 *preliminary 722