WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- The number of deaths on U.S. roads fell last year to a record low fatality rate but motorcycle deaths rose for the ninth year in a row.
Last year, 42,642 people died in traffic accidents, a drop of 868 deaths compared to 2005. The 2 percent decline in deaths contributed to a low fatality record of 1.42 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced Tuesday.
Deaths of people in passenger vehicles continued a steady decline to 30,521, the lowest annual total since 1993, Peters said. Injuries also were down last year, with passenger car injuries declining by 6.2 percent and large truck injuries falling by 15 percent, she said.
The number of motorcycle deaths rose by 5.1 percent last year to 4,810, marking nine consecutive years of increases, said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
Alcohol-related deaths rose slightly from 15,102 in 2005 to 15,121 in 2006.
