One hundred people have died in motor vehicle crashes in the state this year, and they’ve included the most young drivers in over a decade.
By this time last year, two drivers younger than 21 had been killed in crashes, according to data from N.H. State Police. As of Monday, the total in 2024 was 10.
On Saturday, after four people — including two under 21 and two 21-year-olds — died in car crashes in 24 hours, State Police posted a video on Facebook asking drivers to “slow down, pay attention and do not drive impaired.”
“Together, we can make New Hampshire a safer place to live and drive,” Lt. Chris Storm said in the video.
The 100 people killed so far this year died in 91 different crashes, per the State Police statistics. A total of 127 people died last year in 119 motor vehicle crashes statewide.
Twenty-four people died from crashes in July alone, according to data from the National Safety Council. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate July was the deadliest month on New Hampshire roads since at least 2008.
Seven people have died in Cheshire County crashes so far this year, including an Antrim teenager who died in a crash in Dublin this past Friday, according to State Police data. That’s the same number as over the same period in 2023 — a year that ended with 12 killed in the county — but already more than the four total fatalities in the county in 2022, according to State Police data. From 2018 to 2022, the county averaged five traffic deaths per year, NHTSA data show.
Speeding, distraction and impairment have all contributed to the high number of deaths statewide this year, according to State Police.
“The rising number of young drivers losing their lives on New Hampshire’s roads is extremely concerning — and it’s time to stop the trend,” said N.H. State Police Col. Mark Hall in a prepared statement Tuesday. “These tragedies have altered families forever and left loved ones devastated. As we continue to analyze data and trends, it is evident that a majority of crashes are preventable. We know that speed, impairment, and distraction remain leading causes of crashes in our state, and we urge everyone to rethink their driving behaviors to reduce the risk of collisions and save lives.”
In 2022, the most recent available NHTSA data, 36 percent of New Hampshire traffic deaths were related to alcohol-impaired driving.
Historically, about a third of the state’s traffic fatalities have been related to speeding, according to NHTSA data.
New Hampshire remains the only state without an adult-occupant seat belt law. Only about 76 percent of occupants wear a seatbelt in New Hampshire, according to the National Safety Council, which reports that 68 percent of occupant deaths in New Hampshire vehicles are unrestrained. Two of the deaths in Cheshire County this year occurred on Route 9 in Chesterfield in June, in a crash in which Chesterfield police said neither of the drivers was wearing a seatbelt.
Abigail Ham can be reached at aham@keenesentinel.com or at (603) 355-8554.
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Current Issue - October 2024