Kansas Department of Transportation officials are reporting a drop in the number of traffic fatalities in 2013 to the lowest number since statistics were first kept in 1947.
KDOT said Friday that the 2013 number of 344 deaths beat the previous low of 385 in 2008. The highest number of deaths was 780, in 1969.
The numbers for 2013 were preliminary and unofficial, but would mark an improvement from 405 fatalities in 2012.
KDOT officials attributed the decline to several factors, including the condition of Kansas roads, better law enforcement, emergency responders and safer vehicles.
