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Vehicle Fatalities Trending In The Wrong Direction

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According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 39 people died on state roads and highways during the month of October. For the first 10 months of this year, 352 people have died in highway accidents.

For the past several years, motor vehicle fatalies have been have generally been on a downward trend in Kansas.

But at the current pace, Kansas will have 430 traffic deaths by the end of the year. 

Tim McCool, a traffic safety specialist with the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, said there have been more fatalities at this point in 2012 than there was in 2011.

There were 382 traffic fatalities in 2011, 431 in 2010. 

McCool said the increase in deaths might be related to the number of miles traveled.

"We have probably more licensed drivers now on the road than what we've had in quite some time, overall nationwide and here in Kansas," said McCool.

Five of the 39 people who died in October were pedestrians who were hit by cars. The October deaths also included four teenagers who were not wearing their seatbelts.