Single-vehicle crashes were the cause of 56 percent of traffic deaths on Delaware’s roads in 2008, an analysis of recently released federal data by AAA Mid-Atlantic shows.

That’s a 2 percent increase over the previous year. Overall fatalities also increased in 2008 by 3 percent.

In 2008, 68 of the 121 road deaths in Delaware were as a result of a single-vehicle crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported. The 2008 data shows the percentage of single-vehicle crashes in Delaware is at a five-year high.

The Diamond State’s percentage of single-vehicle crashes is four percentage points higher than the most recent national average for single-vehicle crash road deaths – 52 percent in 2007.

AAA Mid-Atlantic Manager of Public and Government Affairs Catherine L. Rossi called the figures troubling.

“While the circumstances of each crash are different, we know drivers’ actions play a significant role,” she said. “Drivers can lower their risk of a crash by avoiding distractions, not speeding and staying alert to road conditions.”

Most drivers consider single-vehicle crashes “freak accidents,” but in fact such crashes involve numerous contributing factors that motorists can control. Distracted driving is chief among them. It increases the risks of single-vehicle and rear-end crashes, research shows. Federal government studies show that 80 percent of crashes involve some form of driver inattention.