PORTLAND – The number of highway deaths in Maine reached the highest level in more than a decade in 2002, but the numbers of homicides and fire deaths were near historic lows as the end of the year approached.

There were 218 highway deaths as of Sunday, making it the deadliest year on Maine highways since 1988, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Among the fatal accidents was the Sept. 12 van crash that killed 14 foreign workers in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

The accident, which was the worst in Maine traffic history, claimed double the number of lives from the previous worst accident in which a car was broadsided by a tractor-trailer 44 years ago in Richmond.

A troubling trend was the large number – 55 as of Sunday – of deaths of people between the ages of 16 and 24, McCausland said.

Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky, who said traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for young people in Maine, is working with lawmakers on legislation that will be introduced next month to address the problem.

“We’re simply losing too many young people, and I think some of these fatalities can be avoided with greater training and greater experience,” said Gwadosky, who oversees the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Among those accidents was one in January in which three high school students who were passengers died when a 19-year-old driver crashed his car in Portland. Another on Dec. 21 in Guilford claimed the lives of three teenagers including the 18-year-old driver, all of whom attended Foxcroft Academy.

A group of state police lieutenants is looking into the issue in hopes of making some suggestions to lawmakers, McCausland said.

Gwadosky has floated several ideas including raising the driving age to 17, lengthening from three months to six months the time between a driver’s permit and license, getting parents more involved in driver education, and increasing the length of time in which a young driver can’t have passengers.

The legislation may include some or all of those elements. “We’re looking at three or four or five provisions,” he said.

Overall, the number of highway deaths will be the greatest since 256 people died in 1988, McCausland said. The lowest number of highway deaths in Maine was 166 in 1982, and the worst year was 1970 when there were 276 deaths.

The number of homicides as of Sunday was 14, which was far below the historic average of 26, McCausland said. The lowest number ever in Maine was 11 in 2000 and the highest number was 40 in 1989.

The proportion of domestic-related homicides was down substantially, providing more good news, McCausland said.

There were only three homicides that involved family members or people involved in a relationship, he said.