Transportation officials say fewer people died on Montana roads in 2014 than in the previous year.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, 192 people were killed on state roads last year, down from 229 in 2013. That’s a 16 percent decrease. A majority of the fatalities — 75 — occurred on primary highways, followed by rural roads, which had 46.
In the Kalispell region, there were 22 fatalities compared to 40 in 2013 and 23 in 2012. Twelve of those deaths occurred on primary highways and seven were on rural roads. The Billings region had the most deaths with 30, followed by Missoula and Butte, which both had 27.
There were 43 people killed in alcohol-related crashes last year, up two from the previous year. The number of crashes, 42, also was up slightly.
The number of fatalities in which seat belts weren’t used fell to 156, a decrease of 34 people from a year earlier.
The Highway Patrol has rolled out major campaigns encouraging seat belt use and discouraging drinking and driving.
