WisDOT: September 2016 safest month in terms of traffic deaths since WWII

MILWAUKEE -- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) says 45 people died in traffic crashes on Wisconsin roads in September 2016 -- which has made it the safest month of September in terms of traffic deaths since the end of World War II.

According to the WisDOT, traffic fatalities last month were 23 fewer than September 2015, and 13 fewer than the five-year average for the month of September.

As of September 30, a total of 440 people have died in Wisconsin traffic crashes this year, including 67 motorcyclist operators, five motorcycle passengers, 33 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists. Traffic deaths through September were 18 more than the same period in 2015 and 28 more than the five-year average.

“September was a very wet month in many areas of the state, which may have reduced traffic and as a result moderated the number of serious traffic crashes,” says David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “In coming months, drivers will need to transition to dwindling hours of daylight and the potential for inclement weather. We’re reminding drivers that they will need to use their headlights to see traffic and road conditions as well as be seen by other drivers. In addition, a recently enacted state law requires headlight use when weather conditions limit visibility to 500 feet or less.”

The deadliest month of September wasa in 1973 with 116 deaths.