Increase reported in drunk driving crashes involving motorcycles
By Globe Staff
The total number of deaths in drunk driving accidents in Massachusetts edged upward in 2007, according to new federal data. And there was a worrisome footnote: The number of motorcyclists killed in such accidents, while small, rose sharply.
Total drunk driving fatalities rose from 144 in 2006 to 146 in 2007, or about 1.4 percent, according to data released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The number of motorcyclists killed increased from 14 to 23, a 64.3 percent jump.
Total drunk driving fatalities declined nationally from 13,491 to 12,998, or 3.7 percent. But the subset involving motorcycles increased from 1,299 to 1,431, or 10.2 percent, federal officials said.
Half the states saw increases in the numbers of motorcyclists killed, led by Virginia, which saw motorcyclists' deaths more than triple, rising from 12 to 37.
US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said in a statement that the national totals were good news, but the motorcycle numbers were disappointing.
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