AUGUSTA – The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety released preliminary data January 22 showing that motor vehicle fatalities on Maine roadways in 2023 were the lowest since 2014. However, pedestrian fatalities did not decrease in  2023.

Vehicle fatalities totaled 134 on Maine roadways in 2023. Vehicle fatalities totaled l64 in 2020, 153 in 2021 and 175 in 2022, according to the Bureau. Back in 2014, there were 131 fatalities, the lowest number of annual vehicle fatalities seen in Maine since 1944, when there were 119.

In a news release, Highway Safety Director Lauren Stewart, said, “ Though the number of roadways fatalities is a vast improvement over the prior several years, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety recognizes that there is still plenty of work to be done because one life lost is one too many.”

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is stepping up efforts by increasing media messaging to the public about safe driving behaviors, according to Stewart. “We are continuing to identify and work with communities that are either underserved or overrepresented in crash data. We have also added a requirement for law enforcement agencies that are receiving certain grant funds from us to educate the public on safe driving behaviors and the risks of impaired driving, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt,” she said in a press release.

According to the 2023 Maine Seatbelt Use Survey, 94.5 percent of motorists observed on Maine roadways were using their seatbelt during the daylight hours. This is the highest observed rate thus far.

However, the same cannot be said about observed seatbelt usage during the nighttime hours. That number dropped to 77.5 percent, which was the lowest observed nighttime rate in 12 years. In 2023, 60 percent of the motor vehicle occupants who were killed on Maine roads were not wearing their seatbelt.

Due to this, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is awarding grant funding to law enforcement agencies to conduct nighttime seatbelt enforcement in order to combat this alarming trend.

One area of noted improvement in 2023 over prior years was the sharp decrease in the number of motorcycle fatalities. The 17 motorcycle fatalities in 2023 were a 47 percent decrease from the 32 motorcycle fatalities seen in 2022. It was also a notable improvement over 2021’s 21 fatalities, 2020’s 29 fatalities, 2019’s 27 fatalities, and 2018’s 23 fatalities. In  fact, it was the lowest number of motorcycle fatalities sine 2014 there were 10 fatalities.

Though there was a very high number of rainy days during the 2023 motorcycle riding season, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, along with partners at the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Maine Department of Transportation continued efforts throughout the year in the area of motorcycle safety, according to Stewart.

Pedestrian fatalities

An area that did not see improvement was the number of pedestrian fatalities. In years past, Maine would see one year with a higher number of pedestrian fatalities, followed by a sharp decrease the next year, followed by an increase again, according to Stewart. However, since 2021, there have been 20 or more pedestrian fatalities per year.

Highway Safety has recognized this trend and have increased its efforts in media messaging, awarding grant funds to law enforcement agencies so they can conduct overtime enforcement activities in pedestrian safety, and adding pedestrian safety education requirements to those grants. Additionally, the Maine DOT recently concluded a Vulnerable Road User Assessment and will be working closely with communities to implement strategies directed toward pedestrian safety.

While it is too early to know how much impaired driving impacted 2023’s fatality numbers since toxicology information is still being received, an average of nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of fatalities each year from 2018 to 2022 were under the influence of alcohol. This does not account for those that were under the influence of drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. Just like with seatbelt safety, our partners in law enforcement will be stepping up their enforcement efforts in order to curb this dangerous behavior, Steward said.

Stewart recognizes there is continued work to be done: “in our collective efforts to lower the number of traffic fatalities on Maine roadways. We continue to thank all of our partners in traffic safety and commend all Maine drivers for their part in a commitment to safety to make Maine roadways safer for everyone in 2023 than they have been in many years.”