Traffic deaths spike in August

September 4, 2008

August was the deadliest month this year on Wisconsin roads. Last month, 83 people died as the result of 74 traffic crashes with four of those deaths occurring on Aug. 30 and 31 during the Labor Day weekend, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Each month since October 2007, fatality totals were lower than the same month in the previous year. But traffic fatalities in August were 17 more than in August 2007 when 66 people died in 61 crashes and 11 more than the five-year average of 72 deaths in 63 crashes for the month of August.

The safest month of August in terms of traffic deaths occurred in 1960 with 64 fatalities, and the deadliest month was August 1969 with 154 fatalities - the worst month in Wisconsin history.

Even with a spike in August, traffic deaths so far this year are about 20 percent lower than last year.  As of Aug. 31, 400 people have died in 369 Wisconsin traffic crashes during 2008, including 54 motorcycle drivers, seven motorcycle passengers, 31 pedestrians and seven bicyclists. Traffic deaths through August were 88 fewer than during the same period in 2007 and 108 fewer than the five-year average.

"We can't pinpoint an exact reason for the increase in traffic fatalities in August," says Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the Wisconsin State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety. "Some might speculate that moderating gas prices have spurred motorists to drive faster once again, which increases their chances of killing themselves or someone else. We do know for certain, however, that if motorists make the right decisions to buckle up, slow down, and drive sober, Wisconsin can get back on track and end the year with the lowest number of traffic fatalities in decades."

For more information, contact:
Dennis Hughes, Bureau of Transportation Safety
(608) 267-9075, dennis.hughes@dot.state.wi.us