Latest news with #HB776
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
State says NH roads getting deadlier by the day
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, deaths 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 seat belt, six were pedestrians and eight were on motorcycles. The number of pedestrians killed is double what it was at this time last year. dpierce@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
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@
