U.S. traffic fatalities hit lowest level since 1949

A report shows almost 33,000 Americans died in motor vehicle accidents last year, the lowest number of deaths since 1949. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

Annual traffic deaths in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest level in six decades, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Released on Thursday, the figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that highway deaths fell to 32,885 in 2010. That's the lowest figure since 1949 and represents a 2.9 percent drop from 2009 — despite the fact that Americans drove almost 46 billion more miles during the year. Americans collectively drove about 3 trillion miles in 2010.

"While we have more work to do to continue to protect American motorists, these numbers show we're making historic progress when it comes to improving safety on our nation's roadways," said DOT Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement.

Industry representatives cited several contributing factors for the drop, such as graduated license programs for young drivers, hands-free cell phone laws and stiffer drunk driving penalties.

“Safer vehicles, safer roads and safer drivers as a result of traffic-safety policies that have been implemented over the last few years are certainly contributors,â€