Wisconsin roadways appear to be getting safer. That's after state traffic fatalities continued to decline in November.
State Transportation Safety Director Major Dan Lonsdorf says 39 people were killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes last month, down from 55 in November of 2007. Lonsdorf says there's no month on record, dating back to World War II, that's lower than the 2008 figure.
The numbers reflect a continuing trend over the past year, which has seen a steady decline in fatal traffic crashes. Lonsdorf says Wisconsin is on track to have one of its safest years on record since the 1940s. Through the end of November, 543 people had died in fatal crashes during 2008.
The reasons behind the drop in fatalities remain unclear. Lonsdorf says it could be the result of people driving less because of rising gas prices, safer vehicles on the roads, or people driving more defensively.
