NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 1,100 people have died on Tennessee roads in 2019, an 8.2% increase from traffic fatalities in 2018.
In Davidson County, traffic deaths jumped 27 percent from last year, hitting 101 deaths.
Statewide, traffic fatalities have been increasing since at least 2017, according to statistics come from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
"Nashville is a growing area, Tennessee is growing, so the more traffic you have, the more cars going through our state, the more fatalities we are going to have," AAA Public Affairs Specialist Megan Cooper said.
But while the state's speeding growth has contributed to the increase, Cooper said many of the crashes are caused by the usual bad habits behind the wheel.
"Distracted driving, impaired driving of any kind, aggressive driving," she listed. "Until something happens to you or a loved one, you don't think it can happen to you or to you family, and those things can definitely happen."
