PIERRE, S.D. - A new report shows the fatality rate on South Dakota's highways dropped 24 percent from 2006 to 2007.

According to the 2007 Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Summary, South Dakota's rate in 2007 was 1.72, compared to 2.25 a year earlier. The rate is expressed as the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Office of Highway Safety Director James Carpenter says it's "the most positive fatality rate statistic South Dakota has seen in nearly 50 years."

South Dakota had 191 traffic deaths in 2006 and 146 in 2007. And the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes dropped 14 percent.

On the Net: The 2007 Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Summary:

www.state.sd.us/dps/AccidentRecords/stats.htm