The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Florida Department of Transportation announced that more lives than ever are being saved on Florida’s roadways.

Based on an analysis of vehicle miles traveled in 2009, Florida’s fatality rate dropped to 1.3 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, the lowest rate ever reported in the Sunshine State.

Both agencies attribute the downward trend to the recent passage of the primary safety belt law, as well as numerous education and awareness campaigns and the strategic enforcement efforts of law enforcement throughout the state.

This marks the fourth consecutive year in which both the number of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate have declined. A complete analysis of the data is available at www.flhsmv.gov. Click on the link for statistics/publications.