Kan. Report: Traffic Deaths Hit 15-year Low

State officials say the traffic death count in Kansas has hit a 15-year low.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says 404 people died in Kansas crashes in 2007, down 13 percent from 468 fatalities in 2006.

KDOT traffic safety chief Pete Bodyk credits the “Click it or Ticket” seat belt campaign, drunk driving initiatives and other programs that put extra police on patrol during peak travel times.

Bodyk said he hopes that fatalities fall below 400 in 2008, something that’s happened only twice in the past 60 years, in 1947 and 1992.

He said most crashes stem from driver inattention, and motorists putting themselves at a higher fatality risk by not wearing seat belts.