Kentucky traffic deaths fall to lowest level in over 20 years

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Kentucky is on pace for its safest year on the roads in more than a decade.

With 26 days left in the year, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reports 608 people have died in roadway collisions. Previous data shows that’s the lowest death toll at this point in any year since at least 2000.

The past decade has seen deaths mostly in the 700s. The record now is 638 deaths in 2013.

Lower traffic fatalities are also a trend being seen locally in Jessamine County. Sheriff Kevin Grimes said it’s something Kentuckians should be proud of.

“Any time that you can decrease those kinds of numbers and have that effect on the community and the driving nation as a whole,” said Grimes.

Seatbelt usage remains a concern.

While the total number of fatal collisions across the state is down, Sheriff Grimes said there’s still work to be done in terms of traffic enforcement to further decrease those numbers. For example, encouraging the use of seatbelts.

Wearing a seatbelt became the law in Kentucky in 2006. However, KYTC data shows nearly half of this year’s victims weren’t buckled up.

Grimes said the degree of someone’s injuries after a collision is always preventable, and it starts with wearing a seatbelt.

“The chances of you surviving that are hugely increased just by that simple click, that 2 seconds, that habit that most people do,” said Grimes. “How many of those people might have survived had they just gone ahead and put that seatbelt on?”

Law enforcement maintains focus.

Sheriff Grimes believes that the lower number of fatal collisions in Jessamine County can be attributed to an increase in patrols, educational campaigns, and partnerships with other agencies. For example, his department has participated in a state grant program that pays deputies to work overtime and focus on traffic enforcement.

Grimes said they won’t let up, even as numbers improve.

“Just because they go down doesn’t mean we slow down or we don’t continue to keep doing the same thing that we do,” he said.

Grimes said speed and distraction are the main causes of collisions in Jessamine County.