KAYE: So is it seems American roads are becoming safer. That's the focus of today's "Big Breakdown." Transportation officials say, last year, traffic fatalities fell to their lowest level since 1949. Now preliminary figures do show that almost 32,800 people died in traffic accidents in 2010, that's compared to nearly 34,000 in 2009. The 2010 number represents a 25 percent drop from 2005 when more than 43,000 people were actually killed. Now take a look at this. Experts say different factors contributed to the decline, like vehicle rollover protection, campaigns addressing drunk driving, distracted driving and seat belt use, of course, and laws aimed at young people, notably older minimum- drinking ages and graduated driver's licenses. The recession and high unemployment rates are also cite as possible reasons many young people weren't traveling as much. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thinks his policies also played a big role.</s>RAY LAHOOD, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: I'm going to take a little bit of credit here on our two years of really hammering on distracted driving. We're not where we want to be, but we know, with good laws and good enforcement, people will put their cell phones down and their BlackBerrys.</s>KAYE: While the numbers dropped a lot during the first half of 2010, they started to creep up a bit in the third and fourth quarters. LaHood says that doesn't mean we'll see a sets back this year. That's what he says at least. Now, as for the worst year on record for traffic fatalities. That was the year right there, 1972, when more than 54,000 people died on American roads. The deportation of 4-year-old American citizen Emily Ruiz has shed light on one particular argument in the immigration debate. How should we treat illegal parents of American children? The "Stream Team" will tackle this subject next.
Fewer Fatal Crashes in 2010