Traffic fatalities declined about 3% in 1st quarter, according to NHTSA

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Traffic fatalities declined about 3% in the first quarter, according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The organization said Monday that it estimates that 8,650 people died in traffic crashes in the first three months of the year. That compares with 8,935 estimated fatalities in the year-ago period.

It's the eighth straight quarterly decline in traffic fatalities.

The estimated fatality rate for the first three months of the year fell to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. That's down from the projected rate of 1.18 fatalities during the same period a year earlier.

The NHTSA estimates that fatalities decreased in 30 states and Puerto Rico in the first quarter, while increases are projected in 19 states and the District of Columbia, compared with the same period a year ago. One state remained unchanged.