Fatal accidents ahead of ’03 rate

CONCORD – New Hampshire’s highway deaths are running way ahead of last year, with the busy holiday season still ahead.
As of Sunday, 156 people died on New Hampshire roads this year, up from 119 during the same period last year.

This year’s figures show a decrease in the number of new drivers killed, but an increase in deaths among drivers age 71 and older.
This year also has seen a big increase in the number of motorcycle drivers who died.

This year’s death toll already has passed the totals from the last two years, when fewer than 130 people died.

The Associated Press