Thousands Can be Saved by Reducing Roadway Hazards
1 July 1998
Thousands Can be Saved by Reducing Roadway Hazards
WASHINGTON, 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