July has been a deadly month for drivers on Nebraska highways in recent years, but so far this year has been a little different.

Officials with the office of highway safety say it's not unusual to see 25 to 30 people killed on Nebraska's highways in July alone. But so far this month, there have been eight. In fact, Nebraska's highway is the safest it has been since 1949.

“Obviously we're pleased because somebody's family isn't affected. That person is going to survive,” said Fred Zwonechek, Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

According to the State Office of Highway Safety, as of Tuesday, 105 people have died, compared to 141 deaths during the same time last year.

AAA officials say they believe the numbers are down because of gas prices, but experts say it's not just the high gas prices that are fueling the decrease.

“Some of the early information from our safety belt observation survey is that our safety belt use is going to exceed 80 percent for the first time in the state's history,” Zwonechek said.

The Nebraska State Patrol is making sure it stays that way.

“What we're trying to do with our other partners in safety is be visible, vigilant, highly visible with our troopers out there. Try and keep the safety message out there to be careful when you're driving,” said Major Russ Stanczyk, Nebraska State Patrol.

Because they know it just takes a single second for those numbers to change.

As the number of cars on the road goes down, officials with the office of highway safety say they're keeping a close eye on the number of pedestrian, bicycle and motorcycle accidents. So far, they say they haven't seen enough of an increase to be concerned.