Traffic fatalities rose statewide from 2020 to 2021.

But Warren County saw a slight decrease during the same period.

An increase from 2020 to 2021 at the state level — 1,129 up to 1,230 — isn’t particularly surprising when one considers the impact of the pandemic and the decrease in travel seen in 2020.

PennDOT says that the 9 percent increase is in line with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report that projected a 12 percent increase through much of 2021.

Data from PennDOT shows that there were seven traffic fatalities in Warren County in 2020 and that number fell to five in 2021.

Each incident is listed by its characteristics: One was alcohol related, three saw aggressive driving as a factor, four were single vehicle accidents where a vehicle left the roadway and four occurred at intersections.

Statewide, nearly half of all traffic fatalities involved lane departure, and PennDOT is targeting “low-cost safety improvements” to reduce those numbers such as rumble strips, high friction surfaces and cable median barriers.

The data shows that fatalities involving impaired driving decreased and have been on the decline for 15 years. Those types of accidents, however, still accounted for more than 35 percent of fatalities in 2021.

Pedestrian fatalities also rose significant — 146 to 182 – in 2021.

According to national data, driver behavior is a factor in more than 90% of crashes.

Publicly available PennDOT fatality data for each year since 2002 for Warren County confirms the broader trend of decreasing fatalities.

The highest years in that window were 2002 and 2003 at 13 and 12, respectively. 2007-2009 saw at least 10 fatalities each year but the county has had a year in double digits since then.

The five fatalities in the county in 2021 are the fourth lowest since 2002 behind 2013 and 2016 (4 each year) and 2014 which saw just three fatalities.