Nebraska – In the month of May, the Nebraska Department of Transportation reported the unfortunate demise of 11 individuals as a result of vehicular accidents throughout the state.
This casualty figure stems from a total of 10 separate traffic incidents. It is pertinent to note that three of the individuals who succumbed to their injuries were not secured with seatbelts at the time of their accidents. Conversely, two fatalities were recorded among seatbelt users, while the seatbelt usage status of the remaining four casualties remains unconfirmed.
A geographical breakdown of these tragic incidents reveals that eight of the fatalities occurred in rural parts of Nebraska. Seven of the accidents transpired on other forms of highways, excluding interstate freeways, while local roads bore witness to the remaining four accidents. Among the 11 fatalities, one case involved an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) operator and two were motorcyclists.
To provide some historical context, during the same period last year, the NDOT recorded a higher number of traffic-related deaths, totaling 19. Thus far, the total number of fatalities in 2023 stands at 77, signifying a notable reduction of 27% when compared to the 98 deaths reported during the same period in 2022. This current figure is also lower than the average recorded over the period from 2019 to 2022, reflecting an 8% decline.
However, in an alarming revelation, the department reported that only 12 of the 66 vehicle occupants who lost their lives in traffic accidents throughout 2023 were confirmed to have been using seatbelts. This underscores the urgency of enforcing seatbelt usage as a vital preventive measure to reduce fatalities resulting from vehicular accidents.
