Traffic deaths fall as gas prices climb

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rising prices at the gas pump appear to be having at least one positive effect: Traffic deaths around the country are plummeting, just as they did during the Arab oil embargo three decades ago. Researchers with the National Safety Council report a 9% drop in motor-vehicle deaths overall through May compared with the first five months of 2007, including a drop of 18% in March and 14% in April.