WASHINGTON — The number of people killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. is expected to reach a new record low in 2008, with early projections showing an almost 10 percent drop in highway traffic deaths in the first 10 months of this year.

The new fatality data marks the first time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is able to project fatality figures prior to the end of the calendar year. Using new electronic data gathering techniques, the agency is working to make projections in near real time to "give safety professionals the data they need to keep motorists safe," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.

Early estimates show that 31,110 people died on the nation’s roads from January through October, compared to 34,502 in 2007 during that same 10-month time period. In addition, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicles miles traveled for the first nine months of 2008 is 1.28, compared to 1.37 for 2007.

North of the border, Transport Canada hasn’t finished compiling 2007 traffic death totals, much less 2008 stats, but law enforcement in various jurisdictions indicated that Canada is experiencing a similar trend.

Many of the largest Canadian police forces say traffic fatalities are down. In Ontario, provincial police have seen deaths drop 30 percent from the same time in 2007. Double-digit decreases have also been seen in B.C. and Manitoba, according to reports.
Traffic experts suggest that skyrocketing fuel prices for the first two-thirds of 2008 sent the numbers down since people drive less often and more slowly, resulting in fewer serious crashes.