New Hampshire roads getting deadlier by the day, state says
Deadly driving crashes continue to rise across New Hampshire with 2025 already outpacing last year, when 135 roadway deaths marked a 6% increase overall and young driver deaths spiked at an alarming rate, transportation officials said.
As of Monday morning, 45 people had died in crashes across the state since Jan. 1, according to Mark Munroe, highway safety program manager for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
Yearly traffic deaths have been trending up since 104 people died in crashes in 2020. In 2024, death among drivers age 16 to 21 more than doubled, with 10 fatalities.
Most recently, a teen was killed in a motor vehicle incident in Bedford Sunday night. Details of that incident have not been released.
So far this year, four drivers under 21 have died, compared with three over the same time period last year. There's been an even bigger spike in deaths among drivers over 70 — 11 deaths, nearly double for that age range, Munroe said.
To address the number of roadway deaths, last year the state relaunched a program called Driving Toward Zero, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities by 50% by 2030. This past February, 75 first responders, safety, transportation, health and municipal officials held a Traffic Fatality Summit aimed at curbing the trend.
Munroe could not be reached for further comment Tuesday afternoon, but said in late February he had never seen anything like the deadly trends across the state in his 40 years working in public safety. Both Munroe and State Police Lt. Chris Storm have repeatedly voiced concern and frustration with the deadly trends they're seeing.
New laws considered
This year, legislators have considered three bills addressing recent dangerous driving trends. None have passed so far.
HB 466 would have made it so anyone who refuses to take a blood-alcohol test loses their license for a year. Representatives killed that bill and a similar state Senate bill.
HB 482 would have raised the fine for driving over 100 mph to $750 on the first offense with a 90-day license suspension. The state Senate tabled the bill last month. However, the House and Senate are working on similar legislation.
HB 776 would add wrong-way driving to the list of factors that elevate driving while intoxicated or impaired to aggravated DWI, which has stiffer penalties. State Police said there were 271 wrong-way drivers reported in 2024. The bill passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting a conference committee after it was amended by the Senate.
More statistics
Of the 45 people killed this year, 26 were drivers, eight were not wearing a seatbelt, six were pedestrians and eight were on motorcycles.
The number of pedestrians killed is double what it was at this time last year.
dpierce@unionleader.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Mass. needs competitive pay for defense lawyers
Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Legislators ought to listen to the committee. Ensuring that there are enough lawyers to uphold the constitutional right to representation enshrined in the Sixth Amendment should be a legislative priority. Whether in the state budget or in some other legislative vehicle, such as a supplemental budget, lawmakers should find a way to boost compensation rates across all categories of indigent defense, which span criminal, mental health, family law, and juvenile cases. Doing so would cost the state about $29 million annually. Advertisement Massachusetts' minimum bar advocate rate of $65 per hour is an outlier in New England. Maine's minimum rate is $150, New Hampshire's is $125 to $150, and Rhode Island's is $112 for most cases. Current rates in Massachusetts don't reflect the complexity of modern court cases, the overhead costs private attorneys pay out of pocket, or the state's sky-high cost of living. Advertisement The Senate's version of the budget does boost rates — but only for mental health appointments and Superior Court cases. The work stoppage is underscoring the critical work bar advocates produce. Since the stoppage began on May 27, the committee and its in-house counsel have struggled to provide attorneys for all clients that need them. Now, a slew of people accused of crimes are waiting, either in jails or out on bail — more than 150 people in Boston as of June 9, according to the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. These numbers are estimates, and bar advocate participation in the work stoppage varies between counties. But leaders agree that the number of unrepresented clients across Massachusetts is already in the hundreds and will continue to grow. Without representation, defendants are forced to stay in jail for days without arraignment, a violation of their constitutional rights. As early as next week, the Supreme Judicial Court may have to consider implementing the A shortage of bar advocates has put courts under pressure before. In 2019, Hampden County couldn't represent all of its clients, and a court instituted a day rate of $424 to incentivize additional private lawyers to handle arraignments. It was effective — and proved that low compensation really is a dissuasive factor for most private attorneys. Advertisement The legislature shouldn't wait for the crisis to deepen to provide a pay raise for bar advocates. Waiting to act will force more defendants to languish without representation, risking case mismanagement or pouring money into finding other private attorneys willing to do the work. This doesn't have to happen. The best way to solve this issue is to pay bar advocates fairly in the upcoming budget, allowing them to uphold the constitutional rights of their clients and ensuring due process across the Commonwealth. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Attempted homicide investigation underway in McAdoo
MCADOO, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Wednesday night, the Pennsylvania State Police announced they're investigating an attempted homicide in Schuylkill County. Troopers say they were called to East Blaine Street shortly before 9:00 p.m. Tuesday after a reported fight between two men. State police say the wife of one of the men, identified by authorities as 51-year-old McAdoo resident Jennifer Villa, got a firearm from her house and began shooting at the opposing party. Police looking for suspect in attempted Luzerne County robbery, chase In total, three shots were fired, one shot was fired at the neighbor's door, and two were fired towards the opposing man. The woman is facing charges for the incident, including attempted homicide and other related charges. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rep. Luna: China is dangerous, behind funding of protests
(NewsNation) — Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican, announced the House Oversight committee will be calling China-based billionaire Neville Singham to testify regarding the funding of a group that organized protests in Los Angeles. 'If he refuses to appear, he will be subpoenaed, and if he ignores that, he will be referred to the DOJ for prosecution,' Luna said in a post on social platform X. She alleged that the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Communist political party to which Singham has previously donated, is also receiving funding from the Chinese Communist Party. The committee will be looking into links between Singham and the CCP, as well. Luna joined NewsNation's 'CUOMO' on Wednesday to discuss the investigation. She said she believes Singham and the CCP are purposely trying to create division within the United States. Hogg forgoes reelection for DNC vice chair 'I do believe the Chinese government knows what they're doing; they're smart and they're dangerous,' Luna said. She added that she believes they are creating a ruse with the protests and making Hispanic-Americans think the unrest going on is all about the recent ICE raids. Luna said during the Biden administration, then-Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham asked then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Singham over Foreign Agents Registration Act violations and ties to China, but the administration did not follow up. 'It's not just me, but the entire Oversight committee in Congress,' Luna said. 'This is a different administration. We are not playing games. What you are seeing in real time is things are heating up. China is not our friend.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
