Don Coplen hit the highway early Friday morning. Coplen is from Hawk Point, "about 1 hour, 2 minutes north and west of St. Louis." That's more than four hours of highway time just to get to the Ozarks.

That trip is long but it’s also safer than it used to be. A new report by the the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says, for the first three months of 2009, highway deaths are down 9 percent from the same period last year. Fatality numbers are at their lowest since 1961.

"The single greatest contributing factor in the saving of traffic fatalities is the use of seatbelts," said Lt. Terry Moore with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

"We do have very good compliance in Missouri. We're at 77-78 percent but, in order to reach that last 20 percent, we're going to have to transition this into a primary law," said Moore.

A primary law would allow Missouri troopers and other law enforcement officers to stop drivers only because they're not wearing their seatbelt.

Safety experts say another reason deaths may be down goes back to the economy. That makes sense to Coplen.

"You try to cut costs anyway you can and that's one of them. We certainly take a lot fewer road trips,” he said.

If these numbers continue, 2009 will see the fewest highway fatalities in a decade. That’s a goal everyone on the road wants to achieve.

"The single most important thing a driver can actively do is remain aware and focused on their driving," said Moore.