HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While 2017 was a very dangerous year on the state’s highways, the number of injury accidents was actually down in Reno County.

According to statistics released from the Hutchinson Police Department, there were 228 injury accidents and five fatalities in 2017, compared with 260 injury accidents and five fatalities in 2016.

Four of those fatalities were handled by Reno County Sheriff’s Officers; HPD handled one. The number of injury accidents in the city far outweighed the number in the county with 153 in the city compared to 75 outside the city limits.

Statewide there were 457 fatalities in vehicle crashes in 2017 compared to 429 in 2016 and 355 in 2015. The new year isn’t off to a good start with more than 50 vehicle fatalities in just the first seven weeks.