MADISON, Wis. -- With two months left in the year, Wisconsin continues its trend of fewer people being killed in highway crashes.

The Department of Transportation reports that as of late last week, 441 people have died in accidents — or 57 fewer than at the same time a year ago. That's an 11 percent drop.

Last year, traffic crashes on Wisconsin roads and highways killed 587 people — 150 fewer than in 2007 and the lowest total in 64 years.

Traffic safety experts have attributed the decline in fatalities, in part, to reduced driving because of the poor economy.

The drop in deaths is dramatic compared with another era. The Transportation Department says that from 1964 through 1973, more than 1,000 traffic deaths occurred each year in Wisconsin, including 1,168 in 1972, the deadliest in state history.