The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and the Tennessee Highway Patrol has announced the preliminary figures indicating the state has recorded 1,047 traffic fatalities in 2018. That’s a 2.2 percent increase in vehicular deaths on Tennessee roadways compared to 2017, when there were 1,024 traffic fatalities. The 2018 traffic fatality numbers include vehicular deaths reported by all Tennessee law enforcement agencies.
In Tennessee, unrestrained motorists accounted for 42 percent (299) of vehicle occupants killed in 2018.
Other contributing factors in fatal crashes included speed and distracted driving, with 147 and 60 deaths, respectively. Of concern is the fact that pedestrian fatalities have increased by 11 percent over the past year from 123 in 2017 to 136 in 2018.