Finally, some good news - fewer fatalities

The daily news hasn't been all that rosy lately. Rising gasoline prices, higher unemployment, floods, wildfires and home loan foreclosures have led the parade of doom and gloom across the land. When a ray of sunshine pierces the clouds, it's worth stopping a moment to rejoice. Here's news worth celebrating: Fewer people are dying in traffic crashes on Illinois roads this year. A lot fewer. In the first 6 months of 2007, 598 people were killed. In the first 6 months of 2008, 484 people were killed. Wow. That's 114 fewer deaths, or a 19 percent reduction. Here's another way of looking at it. In the first half of 2007, an average of 23 people died each week. This year, the average is less than 19. What led to this significant improvement in highway safety? You know the old saying: Success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is claiming some of the credit. He issued a press release attributing the decline in traffic deaths to a law he signed in 2003. The primary safety belt enforcement law has allowed police officers to pull over and ticket drivers and front-seat passengers for not wearing their seat belts. As a result, Blagojevich said, seat-belt use has risen from 76 percent 5 years ago to more than 90 percent today. He clearly believes there's a correlation between higher seat-belt use and lower traffic fatalities. Other "fathers" have stepped forward. Through increased enforcement, better education and statistics monitoring, the Illinois State Police, Secretary of State's office and Department of Transportation believe they've contributed to the cause of safer roads. Individual drivers ought to take some of the credit. They're the ones who are incorporating safer driving habits. What about those higher gasoline prices? They may have played a role in dampening traffic volume, reducing speeds and cutting crashes. Better-engineered cars, trucks and SUVs should be factored into the equation as well. Illinoisans should not be satisfied with these results. Hundreds still are dying in traffic crashes. Yet, we should be thankful that the death toll is declining noticeably. We all could use more good news like that - no matter who takes the credit.