All About Japan Autos

With more cars and drivers on the roads, you’d expect an increase in traffic fatalities. Actually, the opposite is true.

Traffic fatalities are the lowest they’ve been since the Department of Transportation started recording data in 1950. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “The record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities occurred even while estimated vehicle miles traveled in 2009 increased by 0.2 percent over 2008 levels.”

This is a remarkable feat given the increase in miles traveled and the number of cars on the road. KickingTires reports “there were only 44.7 million cars on U.S. roads in 1950 and a population of 150 million compared to today’s 255.9 million cars and a population of 310 million.”

Barbara Harsha, Executive Director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, told The Detroit News that the decline is due to “a host of factors, including increased seat belt use, stronger enforcement of drunken driving laws, better roads, safer vehicles and an increasingly well-coordinated approach to safety.”

Advancements in safety technology are staggering. The Detroit News says that in 1950 “Only one automaker, Nash, offered seat belts – as an option.”

If you’re in the market for a new or used car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.