Evening rush hour traffic fills Highway 50, Jan. 26, 2017,...

Evening rush hour traffic fills Highway 50, Jan. 26, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. Traffic fatalities declined about 3% in the first quarter, according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Monday, June 24, 2024. Credit: AP/Rich Pedroncelli

Traffic fatalities declined about 3% in the first quarter, according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The organization said Monday that it estimates that 8,650 people died in traffic crashes in the first three months of the year. That compares with 8,935 estimated fatalities in the year-ago period.

It's the eighth straight quarterly decline in traffic fatalities.

The estimated fatality rate for the first three months of the year fell to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. That's down from the projected rate of 1.18 fatalities during the same period a year earlier.

The NHTSA estimates that fatalities decreased in 30 states and Puerto Rico in the first quarter, while increases are projected in 19 states and the District of Columbia, compared with the same period a year ago. One state remained unchanged.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail. Credit: Anthony Florio; File Footage; Photo Credit: Newsday / James Carbone, John Paraskevas; AP / David Bookstaver, Clark County Sheriff's Office, Richard Drew, Mitchell Tapper, Don Ryan; Peconic River Sportsman’s Club / Kerry Goldberg

'He will be ... coming out of prison in a body bag' Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail. Credit: Anthony Florio; File Footage; Photo Credit: Newsday / James Carbone, John Paraskevas; AP / David Bookstaver, Clark County Sheriff's Office, Richard Drew, Mitchell Tapper, Don Ryan; Peconic River Sportsman’s Club / Kerry Goldberg

'He will be ... coming out of prison in a body bag' Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail.

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