The Phoenix metro area was ranked in the top ten among metro areas nationwide for the number of people killed in auto crashes in 2009. The numbers come from an analysis done by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Mark Brodie reports.

MARK BRODIE: More than 13,000 Americans in the top 50 metro areas died in auto accidents in 2009 - that’s about 40 percent of all auto deaths nationwide that year. In the Phoenix Metropolitan statistical area, or MSA, which includes Maricopa and Pinal Counties, that number was 392, the tenth highest in the country. The New York City and Los Angeles areas had the most deaths in motor vehicle crashes that year. Nationally, slightly more than eight people per 100,000 residents died in motor vehicle crashes in the top 50 MSA’s in 2009 - the Phoenix area’s rate was almost a point higher. The CDC says auto crashes are the leading cause of death among people between 15 and 24 years old.