Valley traffic deaths soar, increasing percent are fatal
The number of drivers involved in crashes in the Phoenix area rose over a recent eight-year period, and an increasing number of those accidents were fatal.
The number of deadly accidents in Maricopa County had risen by more than 100 per year by 2006, the latest year for which figures are available.
Among the findings of the Maricopa Association of Governments study:
• The overall number of crashes has risen steadily since 1999, from 83,622 to 94,736 in 2006, a 13 percent increase.
• The number of crashes with injuries has stayed roughly flat, declining 2.3 percent.
• The number of fatal crashes increased 28.5 percent, from 396 crashes in 1999 to 509 in 2006.
More recent statewide figures show some improvement, with traffic-related deaths down 17 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Council. Statewide traffic-related deaths reached 1,066 in 2007, compared with 1,288 the year before.
Some reports suggest higher gas prices may be part of the reason fewer people are dying in accidents because people are driving fewer miles. The study of county traffic accidents was developed for MAG's Transportation Safety Committee, which coordinates safety measures in roadways. MAG hasn't analyzed the statistics. But Eric Anderson, the agency's transportation director, said numerous factors, including speed, roadway design, the mix of vehicles and the amount of traffic, play a part in crashes.
The number of vehicles registered in Maricopa County grew from 2.33 million in 1999 to 3.86 million in 2006, an increase of 66 percent, according to the state's Motor Vehicle Division. That includes cars, trucks, all-terrain vehicles and even golf carts.
According to MAG's study, most of the injury crashes were a result of rear-end collisions, while most of the fatal crashes were one-car accidents. It's unclear why there were more fatal crashes, but Kerry Wilcoxon, a Phoenix traffic engineer who heads the safety committee, said it could be due to an increase in high-speed accidents.
"Those are less likely to be survivable," he said.
