SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The annual death toll on Oregon highways declined in 2010.
Preliminary figures released Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Transportation showed a 13 percent decrease to 325 fatalities last year, compared to 377 in 2009.
Officials said the 2010 total was the lowest since 1944, when there were 245 deaths.
Oregon transportation safety chief Troy Costales said the numbers suggest drivers are paying more attention to safety.
He also says improvements in road design and traffic management techniques have contributed to fewer crashes and fatalities.
Despite the overall decline in traffic deaths, Oregon pedestrian fatalities nearly doubled last year from 2009 — 62 deaths in 2010 compared to 39 killed the previous year.
