The amount of traffic accident fatalities in Wisconsin has fallen by 30 percent so far in 2008, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
According to the Capital Times, the DOT's Chief of Transportation Safety Programs Dennis Hughes said 188 people died in car crashes by this time last year, but only 137 people have died in car accidents to date.
Steve Olson, spokesperson for the State Patrol's Bureau of Transportation Safety, said the drop in fatalities is probably due in large part to lower driving speeds and reduced traffic volumes during the severe winter weather months.
Olson said the high price of gasoline is another likely factor.
With warm weather comes heavier traffic and more reckless driving and could mean more accidents during the approaching summer, according to Olson.
It's kind of a paradox, but as driving conditions get better, we tend to have more fatal crashes simply because there are more cars on the roads and they're going at faster speeds,"" Olson said.
