41% Of Mass. Fatal Crashes Involve Alcohol, Report Finds
WASHINGTON (CBS) -- Massachusetts is above the national average when it comes to the state's percentage of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, according to a new federal study.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that of 328 fatal Bay State crashes in 2014, 133 of them, or 41 percent, involved alcohol.
Nationwide, alcohol-impaired fatalities account for 31 percent of total crash deaths.
Overall, the NHTSA says the United States saw fewer traffic deaths last year. But officials are worried about an 8 percent increase in estimated fatalities during the first six months of 2015.
"These numbers are a call to action," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement. "Everyone with a responsibility for road safety – the federal, State and local governments, law enforcement, vehicle manufacturers, safety advocates and road users – needs to reassess our efforts to combat threats to safety."
Vehicle crashes in 2014 killed 32,675 people and injured 2.3 million.
