New data from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety indicates an unusually low number of vehicle fatalities in 2023, including a low number of motorcycle-related deaths.

There were 134 fatalities on Maine roads in 2023, according to the data. That’s the lowest number since the bureau recorded 131 fatalities in 2014. Prior, Maine had not seen that few roadway fatalities since 1944.

“Though this is a vast improvement over the prior several years, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety recognizes that there is still plenty of work to be done because one life lost is one too many,” said Lauren Stewart, the bureau’s director.

The bureau also noted what it called a “sharp decrease” in the number of motorcycle fatalities. There were 17, which is 47% fewer than the 32 motorcycle fatalities in 2022, and the lowest number since 2014, when there were 10 deaths. 

Seat belt use showed some opposing trends. In 2023, the bureau reported, 94.5% of motorists were observed using seat belts during the daytime, which is an all-time high.  

At night, however, motorists were observed using seat belts only 77.5% of the time, which the bureau indicated was the lowest observed rate in 12 years. The bureau noted that 60% of motorists killed in 2023 in Maine were not wearing their seat belts.

“The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is awarding grant funding to law enforcement agencies to conduct nighttime seatbelt enforcement in order to combat this alarming trend,” the bureau said in a statement.