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A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Each year since 1985 over 700 Mississippians have died on our streets and highways. In 2001 there were 781 lives lost due to traffic crashes, showing an 18% decrease from the 947 deaths in 2000. Approximately 40% of these fatalities were alcohol and/or drug related. More than 100 teens are killed and more than 7,000 are injured each year in Mississippi traffic crashes. Estimates indicate the total economic loss each year exceeds $510 million. This amount, however, doesn't begin to reflect the enormous consequences and human tradgedies caused by traffic related deaths and injuries.
There is a continual need to identify traffic safety problems in our state, design specific strategies to attack these problems and appraise the outcome by recording successes and/or failures along with probable cause/effect relationships. Laws intended to increase restraint usage, reduce the incidence of drunk driving or lower average speeds, coupled with substantive crash and citation data, are very useful elements in enhancing and evaluating the results of enforcement efforts and developing alternative programs. |