Traffic Fatalities Increased Sharply in Early 2012

Traffic deaths sharply increased in the first three months of 2012 compared with the previous year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday.

The NHTSA said that the number of fatalities jumped 13.5 percent from January to March to 7,630, up from 6,720 deaths in the first three months of 2011. The figures contrast with the past several years, which saw declines in the number of car-related deaths.

“If these projections for the first quarter of 2012 are realized, it will represent the second-largest year-to-year quarterly increase in fatalities since NHTSA began recording traffic fatalities” in 1975, the NHTSA said in its report.

The agency said it should be noted that the rate for the first three months of the year was due to winter weather conditions affecting much of the country.

Jacob Nelson, director of traffic safety advocacy and research with the Automobile Association of America (AAA), told CNN, “While it is likely not the only factor involved, AAA agrees that warmer-than-average winter weather may have contributed to higher vehicle miles traveled, and ultimately more fatal crashes.”

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