The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says there were 813 highway fatalities on Kentucky roadways in 2023, an increase from the 744 seen in 2022.
The KYTC’s Office of Highway Safety says in those fatal accidents, 51 percent of victims were not wearing a seatbelt. 33 percent of the accidents involved speeding or aggressive driving, 20 percent involved distracted drivers, and 16 percent involved alcohol.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says wearing a seatbelt is the single most effective way of preventing injury or death in a traffic accident. Seatbelt use and the dangers of drunk driving continue to be the primary subjects of most public awareness campaigns.
The KYTC says it continues to focus on infrastructure projects that improve safety for everybody on the roadway, including a pilot project set to begin this summer that will test systems that detect and deter wrong-way crashes along select interstate ramps in Fayette and Jefferson counties.
Preliminary numbers for 2024 report 170 roadway deaths, which is down more than 13 percent compared to this time last year.
