Traffic fatalities in Lancaster County this year are down, in line with a national trend.

Twenty-five people have died so far this year as a result of accidents on county roads, newspaper records show.

That's down from 32 killed by this time last year, a 22 percent drop.

It's the lowest total since 2001, when 18 people were killed here in traffic accidents through June 26.

Statistics show fewer traffic fatalities are the trend countrywide. Some say the high cost of gasoline could be part of the reason.

"Perhaps there is less driving and therefore less opportunity for people to be in a crash," said Lt. Jeffrey Hopkins of the State Police Bureau of Patrol, which reports a 9 percent drop in traffic deaths on trooper-patrolled roads across Pennsylvania so far this year.

Mass transit ridership has increased significantly, he said, and that generally corresponds to less vehicle traffic.

But other potential factors make it difficult to pinpoint the effect the price of gas has had on the number of traffic deaths, Hopkins said.

More cars on the road with safety features such as side airbags could lower the number of traffic deaths some, he said.

Hopkins also credited an increase in law enforcement efforts targeting aggressive drivers, drunken drivers and those not using seat belts and proper child restraints. Increased federal funding for such programs has meant more patrols, he added.

Fewer drivers could also mean more pedestrians and bikers, which could conceivably increase traffic fatalities.

So far this year in Pennsylvania, state police have responded to 316 fatal crashes that killed 346 people, Hopkins said. Of those victims, 157 were not wearing seat belts and 22 motorcyclists were not wearing helmets.

Last year by this time, state police responded to 345 fatal crashes that killed 380 people. Of those victims, 185 were not wearing seat belts and 26 motorcyclists were not wearing helmets.

Nationally, traffic deaths in the first five months of this year have declined in 35 of the 37 states that provided data for a USA Today story Thursday.

Highway deaths dropped by more than 20 percent in 14 states and the District of Columbia, and by more than 10 percent in 16 other states.

The statistics are preliminary and include only those fatal crashes that occur on highways patrolled by state police agencies.

Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, told USA Today that high gasoline prices discouraging some Americans to drive might be a factor in the decline of fatalities, but it's premature to draw that conclusion.

Traffic deaths across the U.S. already were declining before gas prices soared.

In 2006, the nation recorded the largest drop in such deaths in more than a decade with 46,642 — 868 fewer than in 2005. Totals for 2007 are expected this summer.

This week's news on traffic fatalities comes at one of the more dangerous driving times of the year.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says there were 366 crashes and 10 fatalities in the state during last year's Fourth of July; an additional 810 crashes and 11 fatalities occurred during the weekends before and after the holiday.

To deter dangerous driving behavior, police in the state have kicked off a wave of "Smooth Operator" enforcement, to run through July 6.

Motorists will be ticketed and fined for aggressive driving such as speeding, tailgating, running red lights and weaving through traffic. During the previous enforcement blitz in April, nearly 60,000 citations and arrests were recorded.

Police will also target impaired drivers with roving patrols and checkpoints. Alcohol was cited as a contributing factor in 141 crashes and seven fatalities last year, and state police made 344 DUI arrests.


Staff writer Ryan Robinson can be reached at rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032.