Numbers For This Disturbing Mass. Statistic Are Highest Sense '09

Some disturbing news comes our way courtesy of the Massachusetts Highway Safety division. Last year in 2021, motor vehicle crash fatalities in Massachusetts reached their highest level in years.

More people died on Massachusetts roads in 2021 than any year since 2009. That's a pretty grim statistic, but what were the reasons why? As it turns out, several different factors played a part.

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According to the Massachusetts Highway Safety division, the number of people who died on Massachusetts roads last year climbed to 390, which is 63 more deaths than 2020. That's also the highest total in a single year since 2009.

The preliminary data from Mass. Highway Safety also shows some interesting reasons why the number of road deaths is rising. The two biggest causes for the high number of fatalities are speeding and fewer people using their seatbelts. That's right. The use of seatbelts is decreasing.

The Highway Safety agency, which is a division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, also reports that another reason for the high number of was more motorcycle deaths.

Apparently, according to AAA Northeast, drivers in the Bay State are less likely to buckle up. Part of the reason for that is seatbelt laws in Massachusetts are a little more lax than in other states.

The Massachusetts Highway Safety division wrote on their Facebook page, "Please slow down, buckle up and look twice to save a life." Great words of advice indeed. Together, let's turn this rising trend around.

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