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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Two fewer people died in drunken-driving crashes in Utah last year than in 2006.
The total decreased was from 53 victims to 51 in 2007, but overall traffic fatalities increased by 12 percent.
Nationwide, drunken driving deaths decreased about the same rate as in Utah. National traffic fatalities also were down almost 4 percent.
A Utah Highway Patrol spokesman says the state's wide-open areas and distances between destinations mean drivers have to spend more time on the road. He says a lack of seat belt may also have led to the increase in overall traffic fatalities.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
