TAZEWELL — Total fatalities on Tennessee highways is markedly down. As of June 21 there were a total of 478 deaths on Tennessee roadways, for the first six months of the year. Last year there was 560 highway deaths in Tennessee, according to the Department of Safety’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The total fatalities for June was down to 50 this year as compared to June 21, 2006, when there were 94 deaths, a decrease of 44 lives. Safety restraint use, while up, shows in 2006 there were 178 fatal vehicle accidents where people involved used safety restraints and 251 people who did not use safety belts and 35 officers were not sure if the people were wearing seat belts or not. Of the two children involved in fatal accidents, one was not wearing a seat belt, the other is unknown.
In 2007 fatal accidents, as of June 21, there were 126 people who were restrained and 230 who were not. There was two children killed and both were wearing seat belts.
Fatalities among motorcyclists in 2006 show 46 used helmets and eight did not.
In 2007 there were 55 fatal accidents where motorcyclists were wearing helmets and one that did not, while there were two whom officers did not know if they were wearing helmets or not during their accidents.
In 2006 there were two other types of cycle accidents where the people died wearing helmets and one was not wearing a helmet.
In 2006 there were no fatalities reported of those wearing helmets, while two that died were not wearing head gear.
In 2007 there was one person who died wearing a helmet and two who were not and one person police were not sure if they were wearing a helmet.
There was 36 people killed that were non-occupants of vehicles who died in accidents and 32 in 2007.
All the figures are preliminary and include information reported as of June 21, 2007.
C.J. Harte is a Correspondent for the Daily News. He can be reached via e-mail at charte@middlesborodailynews.com.
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