Highway Fatalities Up in Kentucky

Kentucky state officials say highway fatalities are up slightly this year in Kentucky, and more than half of the victims were not wearing seatbelts.

There were 586 fatalities as of Sept. 30, up five from the same time last year.

The numbers come from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety. About 22 percent of the deaths involved alcohol and 13 percent were motorcyclists not wearing a helmet.

Boyd Sigler, director of the agency’s division of Highway Safety Programs, says the numbers show “there is still work to be done” when it comes to highway safety education.

There were a total of 826 fatalities on Kentucky roadways in 2008.