Tennessee Safety Commissioner Bill GibbonsNASHVILLE – State Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons says Tennessee is “moving in the right direction” with preliminary figures showing Tennessee traffic deaths last year fell 2.7 percent, dropping from 1,015 in 2012 to 988 in 2013.
The figure represents just the fourth time in 50 years that vehicular fatalities have dropped below 1,000, officials say.
In 2012, deaths increased over 2011. At 937 traffic-related deaths, 2011 represented the lowest number in traffic-related fatalities since 1963.
The 2013 improvement came after officials publicly voiced concerns earlier this year as the number of deaths on state roads and highways began running neck and neck with 2012.
Gibbons said in a news release the department’s “focus on data driven deployment of state troopers to have the maximum impact on DUI and seat belt enforcement is paying off.”