Deadly highway accidents have increased nationally by almost 10% from last year. Kentucky especially has seen an increase in these numbers. As of October 6, there have been 552 car related deaths in Kentucky, which is 61 more than this time last year. This after the past 3 years among the lowest in traffic fatalities since 1940, when we actually started keeping records. KSP says 2 possible reasons for the spike – lower gas prices, which have put more cars on the road – and distracted driving, especially the use of cell phones and texting.