Don't ask the California Office of Traffic Safety to name the exact cause of the drop in traffic deaths.

Cochran: "We can't point to any one, two or three things that are the majority reason for it."

But OTS Spokesman Chris Cochran can reel off a whole bunch of potential factors: The recession and higher gas prices mean Californians are driving fewer miles.  Newer cars have better braking and crash avoidance systems.  And seatbelt and drunk driving enforcement campaigns are making headway.  But most of all, Cochran credits the drivers themselves:

Cochran: "They understood the problems inherent in driving a 3,000 pound hunk of steel down the highway, and they're just driving better."

About 2,700 people died in California traffic accidents last year.