Strange: Why Do Red States Have More Traffic Fatalities? [View all]

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http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/strange-why-do-red-states-have-more-traffic-fatalities


Strange: Why Do Red States Have More Traffic Fatalities?
November 20, 2012 |

When it comes to politics, conservative and liberal states are certainly on completely different tracks. But surprisingly, research shows they also part ways on a gloomy statistic: fatal traffic accidents.

Stuart Silverstein, a reporter for FairWarning, a nonprofit investigative news organization focused on public health and safety issues , reported Tuesday that traffic fatalities are more likely to occur in red states than blue states. Looking at 2010 federal statistics, Silverstein found that states with the highest rates of traffic deaths were overwhelmingly red states — calculated by those which voted Romney in the 2012 election. It’s estimated that U.S. traffic accidents killed more than 32,000 people in 2010.

Wyoming had the highest rate of deaths per 100,000 people at 27.46, while the District of Columbia had the lowest rate of deaths at 3.97. Although there are some outliers, Silverstein’s graph shows a clear partisan divide when it comes to traffic fatalities — which have safety experts perplexed.

Below is the chart: