Highway Fatalities Drop 18% in West Virginia in 2014

Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Pat Reed says an 18 percent decline in highway fatalities could be due to recent safety laws and public awareness campaigns.

Reed said Tuesday that highway fatalities dropped from 332 in 2013 to 271 in 2014.

Reed says in a news release that the decline shows the state is moving in the right direction toward its goal of zero fatalities.

A law passed in 2012 banned texting while driving. Violating the ban became a primary offense in 2013, meaning police can stop drivers. The state’s seatbelt law became a primary offense in 2013.