7am News, Sports and Obits

Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
LaHood Pleased With Decline in Highway Fatalities
Drivers, cars, and roads are safer than ever, but there are still challenges ahead for law enforcers and transportation professionals. That's how U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former longtime Congressman from Peoria, sums up the 2009 traffic death toll -- the lowest on record.

LaHood says the total is 33,808. He credits safety improvements to the cars and roads, adding "discretionary driving" seems to be down. He says people are, for example, going out to eat or traveling for leisure less frequently.

Praising increases in seat belt use and decreases in DUI incidents, LaHood says the unconquered territory now is distracted driving. He is on a campaign to make it a habit to store the cell phone or similar device in the glove compartment before you start up the car.

(Illinois Radio Network)
09 10 10 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.