Arizona fared well in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) traffic fatality data for 2009 released last week. With 807 deaths in motor vehicle accidents, the state logged its lowest annual total since 1993.

The national numbers were the lowest since 1950, even with an increase in vehicle miles traveled. Every category of vehicle saw a decline over 2008 numbers. The 2009 data also showed the lowest injury rates ever reported.

The 33,808 fatalities across the country last year translated into 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles, a significant decline from the 1.26 deaths reported in 2008. Motorcycle deaths fell by 9.7 percent this year, halting an 11-year upward trend. Fewer alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were reported, as well: 10,839 last year versus 11,711 in 2008, marking a 7.4 percent decrease.

Arizona's 807 deaths represent a 14 percent decline over from 2008. This new low continues a downward trend and helps close the gap between the state and the national average. In 2008, there was a 2.1 point difference between the number of deaths per 100,000 residents in the U.S. and the state. This year, the difference fell 1.2 points (U.S. - 11.01; Arizona - 12.24).

Drunk driving was responsible for 219 deaths, or 27 percent of the total. That translated into alcohol being involved in 16 percent of highway fatalities, a significant improvement over 2008. Motorcycle accidents accounted for 121 (14 percent) lives lost last year, coincidentally falling 14 percent from 2008.

State Department of Public Safety officials said that Arizona's relative youth as a state has translated into more modern highway engineering. Wider lanes and shoulders, better signage, more advanced grading, additional guard rails, rumble strips - all contribute to making Arizona's roads safer. Rumble strips alone have reduced the accident rate by a third.

Still, driver and passenger safety are most often influenced by personal decisions - to use a seat belt, to wear a helmet, to put a child in a car seat - and that is where the state will continue to focus. Driver education, all the way down to the high school level, should help to close the gap between Arizona's 12.24 deaths per 100,000 residents and the best state's rate of 4.84.

More detailed data will be available later this fall.

Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 3 to 34.

Resources: The Arizona Republic "Arizona Traffic Death Toll Drops to a 16-year Low" 9/11/10