Maine’s July Traffic Deaths on Record Pace

Traffic fatalities in Maine this July are on pace to be among the highest on record.

Seventeen people lost their lives on the state’s roads as of Friday, July 18, an average of about one death a day.

Spokesman Stephen McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety says July and August are the deadliest months because of the high number of vehicles on the road. But the Department of Transportation says the worst month on record is December 2006, which saw 30 traffic deaths.

The DOT’s Duane Brunell says July fatalities over the last four years have averaged 20. He says fatalities for the month are running ahead of last year’s, and this comes at a time when high fuel prices are causing motorists to drive less.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com