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Spike in traffic deaths leads officials to call for changes to safety laws

A spike in traffic deaths across the country has highway safety advocates calling for changes to existing traffic laws.

Channel 9 went through a new report that was released Monday by the group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

The report said that in 2016 there were more than 37,000 people killed in crashes across the United States -- that's up 5.6 percent from 2015, marking the second year in a row that traffic deaths increased.

Most of the increases were among pedestrian crashes and wrecks involving older drivers, the report said.

The group ranked states based on the number of traffic safety laws in effect.

For example, Rhode Island ranked best because it has 13 major laws dealing with things like child safety in cars and ignition interlocks to prevent drunken driving crashes, but it's still missing a helmet law for all motorcycle riders.

On the other end of the spectrum, South Dakota ranked at the bottom with only two major laws.

The Carolinas fell in the middle of the list.

North Carolina had more than 1,400 traffic deaths in 2016.

The report cited a lack of several major highway safety laws across the state, including a minimum age of 16 for a learner's permit and ignition interlocks for DWI offenders.

In South Carolina, more than 1,000 people died in crashes in 2016.

The report gives the state credit for enacting a law requiring children to be in a rear-facing restraint in the back seat until age 2. But the state also lacks a law requiring all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, and it also doesn't require ignition interlocks for DUI offenders.

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