The National Transportation Safety Board recently reported a 9 percent decrease in deaths from 2007 to 2008. Now a new report shows that traffic fatalities are continuing their downward slide in 2009.

New data (pdf) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that traffic fatalities reached a record low the first half of 2009—down 7 percent over the same time last year. NHTSA estimates 16, 626 people died on U.S roads between January and June, down from 17,871 fatalities in 2008. By quarter, fatalities dropped about 10 percent in the first quarter and 4 percent in the second.

Traffic fatalities have been declining steadily since 2005. One reason, which could be attributed to the economy, is that people are traveling less. The Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled dropped by 6.1 billion miles—about a 0.4 percent decrease for the first half of 2009. Even standardizing for miles traveled, the fatality rate declined to 1.15 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles down from 1.23 fatalities in 2008.

Another reason for the decrease in deaths has been the increase in safer vehicles on the road. Side- and curtain air bags are becoming more commonly offered as standard equipment, which help to better protect occupants in crashes. Active safety technologies such as lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, and adaptive cruise control are also becoming more prevalent, which helps drivers to avoid accidents all together. For more information on car safety, see our guide.

—Liza Barth