Thousands Can be Saved by Reducing Roadway Hazards
1 July 1998
Thousands Can be Saved by Reducing Roadway HazardsWASHINGTON, July 1 -- As we head into what has been identified as the deadliest holiday for traffic crashes, July 4th, the D.C.- based Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) is urging communities across the country to address the issue of deadly roadway hazards, such as poles and trees, that contribute to thousands of roadway deaths each year. "Whether you're a good driver or not, as families and friends hit the road for this vacation holiday not only could they be the victims of a drunk driver, speed or fatigue, but often it's the simple things like a dangerously placed utility pole, a guardrail installed incorrectly, or an exposed bridge pier, that lead to death and severe injuries from a car crash," Kathy Hoffman, executive director of the non-profit Roadway Safety Foundation, said today. "But the most tragic thing is that these deaths and injuries can be prevented." Most of the annual 42,000 car crash fatalities occur on two-lane roads where many of the roadway hazards are located. According to the U.S. Federal Highway Department (FHWA), in 1995 alone there were 37,221 fatal vehicle crashes resulting in 41,798 deaths in the U.S., and, 77 percent of these fatal crashes (28,552) occurred on two-lane roads. Close to 12,000 of all fatalities that occur each year involve vehicles hitting fixed objects such as trees, utility poles, or bridge supports, according to the FHWA. The ten states with the highest percentage of 1996 vehicle crash fatalities involving roadway hazards are: Vermont (43.2 percent); Maine (39.5); Kentucky (39.4); Connecticut (38.5); Oklahoma (37.9); Alabama (37.8); Tennessee (37.0); Massachusetts (37.0); and Missouri (35.7). A full state chart (A) is below. "The public, in working with their local government officials, can change this," Hoffman added. "By identifying roadway hazards and alerting their local traffic engineers and city or town officials, these hazards can be reduced or eliminated. And with the passage of the new $216 billion transportation bill, 'TEA 21,' funding is available. It's a matter of people working together." Dangerous roadsides can be made safer. If a vehicle runs off the road, a roadside free of hazardous fixed objects provides a recovery area allowing the driver to safely gain control of the vehicle and, in effect, preventing or reducing the severity of a car crash. Hazards can be reduced through the following techniques: relocating fixed objects farther from the road; modifying highway hardware with "breakaway" features; and shielding fixed objects with roadway barriers or crash cushions. In some cases, it may be appropriate to remove trees located too near the road. One such example of this is 7447 Clifton Road in Fairfax County, Virginia. Around 6 p.m., and just days before Thanksgiving in 1997, a 17-year-old senior high school student traveling westbound on this curvy two-lane road died when her vehicle ran off the road and crashed immediately into a tree after negotiating a turn. Throughout the years, several car crashes have occurred at this location. And there are hundreds of thousands of deadly locations like this across the country. As for July 4th, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics show that from 1990 through 1996, it has the worst record for fatal car crashes, with a seven-year total of 1,100. July 3 is the second worst day with 1,037 fatalities. The most dangerous day of the week for each of those seven years, based on the most fatalities to occur, is Saturday. A chart (B) is below. "With this year's July 4th falling on a Saturday we can expect a particularly dangerous holiday for travelers," Hoffman said. "Unfortunately, about 30 percent of the fatalities that may occur this holiday will be due to roadway hazards." The Roadway Safety Foundation is a nonprofit organization supported by both private and public organizations to reduce the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America's roadways. This is highlighted in its recent report titled 'Improving Roadway Safety: Current Issues.' "We are working with engineering, design, government, and community officials as well as with the public and the private sector in an effort to reduce roadway hazards and save lives," Hoffman said. The NAII, a founding member of the Foundation, is the largest full-service property-casualty insurance trade association in the U.S., representing 570 companies. For more information on how to work to reduce roadway hazards, one can call Kathy Hoffman at the Roadway Safety Foundation at 202-857-1200, the regional FHWA or view the FHWA web site at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/. Chart A 1996 Fatal Crashes by First Harmful Event State Collisions with Rail/Train Total Fixed Objects Collisions Number Percentage Number Percentage Vermont 32 43.2% 1 1.4% 74 Maine 62 39.5% 0 0.0% 157 Kentucky 289 39.4% 3 0.4% 733 Connecticut 114 38.5% 0 0.0% 296 Rhode Island 25 38.5% 0 0.0% 65 Oklahoma 254 37.9% 15 2.2% 670 Alabama 386 37.8% 12 1.2% 1,022 Tennessee 414 37.0% 6 0.5% 1,120 Massachusetts 145 37.0% 0 0.0% 392 Missouri 359 35.7% 16 1.6% 1,006 Pennsylvania 481 35.6% 1 0.1% 1,353 Ohio 438 35.1% 9 0.7% 1,247 Georgia 483 34.4% 14 1.0% 1,403 Virginia 272 33.7% 1 0.1% 807 Mississippi 231 33.2% 11 1.6% 695 West Virginia 105 33.0% 1 0.3% 318 Louisiana 229 32.7% 19 2.7% 701 South Carolina 267 32.5% 6 0.7% 821 Arkansas 174 32.3% 20 3.7% 539 North Carolina 422 31.8% 5 0.4% 1,328 New Hampshire 39 31.2% 0 0.0% 125 New Jersey 230 30.4% 0 0.0% 757 Oregon 136 29.6% 0 0.0% 460 Dist. of Col. 17 29.3% 0 0.0% 58 Indiana 254 29.1% 22 2.5% 872 Colorado 157 28.3% 3 0.5% 555 Illinois 369 28.1% 20 1.5% 1,312 Maryland 156 28.0% 0 0.0% 558 New York 394 27.7% 2 0.1% 1,422 Kansas 121 27.3% 13 2.9% 443 Hawaii 36 26.9% 0 0.0% 134 California 955 26.7% 9 0.3% South Dakota 30 21.1% 2 1.4% 142 Florida 504 20.2% 8 0.3% 2,496 Montana 36 20.1% 3 1.7% 179 Minnesota 100 19.9% 8 1.6% 503 New Mexico 80 19.4% 4 1.0% 412 Delaware 20 19.0% 0 0.0% 105 Alaska 13 18.3% 0 0.0% 71 Nebraska 41 17.1% 6 2.5% 240 Arizona 144 16.8% 0 0.0% 857 Nevada 53 16.8% 1 0.3% 315 Wyoming 19 15.7% 0 0.0% 121 Utah 40 14.1% 7 2.5% 284 North Dakota 7 8.8% 3 3.8% 80 Total 10,781 28.9% 320 0.9% 37,351 Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Association of Independent Insurers Chart B Roadside Hazard Crash Deaths as Percent of All Motor Vehicle Deaths Source: U.S. Dept. of Transportation Deaths Percent 1975 10,960 25 1976 11,486 25 1977 11,535 24 1978 12,473 25 1979 14,309 28 1980 15,232 30 1981 14,076 29 1982 12,428 28 1983 12,178 29 1984 12,455 28 1985 12,234 28 1986 13,332 29 1987 12,938 28 1988 13,141 28 1989 12,742 28 1990 12,783 29 1991 12,199 29 1992 11,485 29 1993 11,292 28 1994 11,237 28 1995 12,015 29 1996 11,859 28 Deadliest Calendar Days Number of Deaths on Selected Days, 1990-96, Source: U.S. Dept. of Transportation 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Total July 4 193 158 187 161 118 146 137 1,100 (Wed) (Thurs) (Sat) (Sun) (Mon) (Tues) (Thurs) July 3 122 118 158 182 184 142 131 1,037 August 4 216 174 83 108 125 158 142 1,006 August 12 185 102 103 137 144 207 120 998 August 25 217 136 87 107 112 185 149 993 September 2 187 142 91 115 146 173 137 991 August 3 172 186 102 112 117 142 157 988 August 18 209 171 107 111 112 127 145 982 August 11 219 158 110 112 94 143 142 978 December 23 131 147 116 136 161 128 139 958 June 29 182 192 86 100 107 113 178 958