roadway fatalities

roadway fatalities

3 pages research about roadway fatalities

Roadway Fatalities Increase in Maryland and Across Nation

Officials Unveil New Strategic Plan to Reduce Traffic Crashes and Fatalities

Maryland’s Goal: Toward Zero Deaths 

April 26, 2016

Linthicum Heights, MD (April 26, 2016) – With several hundred federal, state and local traffic safety experts meeting at the 2016 Strategic Highway Safety Plan Summit to develop solutions to save lives on Maryland roadways, officials from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Maryland State Police and National Safety Council today announced that in 2015, 520 people died in traffic-related crashes on Maryland’s roadways.  According to data collected by MDOT, the preliminary figure represents an increase from the previous year when 443 people were killed and follows a trend that has seen roadway deaths increase nationwide.

“This tragic increase in people killed on our roadways is unacceptable,” said Deputy Transportation Secretary Jim Ports.  “For all of us dedicating our lives to highway safety, this increase in fatalities is a call to action to strengthen and expand our efforts to save lives on our roads.”

Along with a rise in overall fatalities, Maryland experienced the following increases:

• 35 percent increase in commercial vehicle-related fatalities;
• 26 percent increase in young driver-involved fatalities; and
• Double the number of bicycle fatalities from 5 in 2014 to 10 last year.

“Police officers in Maryland recognize the important mission we have in reducing traffic crashes,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel William Pallozzi said.  “Our strict enforcement of traffic laws is a daily reminder to drivers that our laws are in place for their safety and violation of those laws impacts the safety of everyone on our roads.  Our goal continues to be changing driver behavior by enforcement that is focused on those areas and driving behaviors where the need is greatest.”

The data was announced at an event to formally kick off Maryland’s implementation of a five-year plan to combat traffic crashes and the resulting serious injuries and fatalities.  Known as the Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), the effort brings together local, state, and federal partners and organizations such as the National Safety Council, AAA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, AT&T, and numerous other corporate, non-profit, and public sector partners.  The SHSP contains more than 30 separate strategies to reduce overall roadway fatalities by at least 50 percent in the next two decades.  The Plan emphasizes solutions from the “Four Es” of highway safety – Engineering, Enforcement, Education, and Emergency Medical Services – and comprehensively addresses the troubling increase in roadway fatalities.

“We lose 100 people every day on our nation’s roadways, and every single one of these deaths is preventable,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “This uptick in crashes is serving notice: We need to prioritize our safety. Driving defensively and staying alert can help us reverse this trend in 2016.”

To reduce congestion, enhance roadway safety and fix all structurally deficient state-owned bridges, Governor Larry Hogan allocated nearly $2 billion in highway funds targeted to long-awaited improvements throughout the state.  These improvements, along with recently announced roadway investments, include:

• $24 million to improve 11 Salisbury Bypass bridges;
• $81 million to reconfigure the MD 175/MD 295 interchange;
• $86 million to widen US 113;
• $100 million to reduce traffic gridlock along I-270;
• $120 million to widen MD 404 from US 50 to the Denton Bypass; and
• $152 million to widen a nine-mile stretch of MD 32.

The Hogan administration also is investing millions in targeted law enforcement strategies aimed at catching and arresting drunk drivers and educational campaigns focused on impaired driving, pedestrian safety, seat belt use and distracted driving.  MDOT recently expanded a statewide campaign to help fight driver distraction by installing 26 signs prior to

13 rest areas alerting motorists of Maryland’s law that prohibits the use of handheld electronic devices while driving.

“It Can Wait!” is written in large letters on the signs to remind drivers that their call/text can wait until they reach the next rest area.

Officials at today’s event highlighted areas that have historically been leading causes of deaths on Maryland’s roads, including:

• Impaired driving;
• Speeding;
• Distracted driving;
• Not wearing seat belts; and
• Not using crosswalks.

MDOT and its partners remind everyone of a few simple rules that will help save lives:

• Always drive sober. Use a designated driver, call a cab or rideshare, or use public transportation but never drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Park the phone before you drive. Driver distraction contributes to nearly 30,000 injuries and more than 200 deaths per year in Maryland.
• Always buckle up! It’s the single most important way to save your life in a crash.
• Slow down. Speeding will not get you where you want to go that much faster, but will contribute to a much greater likelihood of injury or death in a crash.
• Use crosswalks and bike lanes. Being visible on the road is especially important for pedestrians and bicyclists. Wear bright clothing, obey the rules of the road while on a bicycle, and cross where drivers expect to see you. When driving, always look for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Look twice for motorcyclists. Motorcycles are sometimes more difficult to see so please look twice for them when changing lanes or pulling into an intersection.
• Respect Maryland’s work zones. Speeding and distracted driving through work zones is dangerous to workers and to other motorists.
• Move over. Drivers approaching from the rear of an emergency vehicle that is stopped on a highway must move over into the other lane, if possible, and slow down.

Note: Maryland’s Toward Zero Deaths campaign focuses on preventing impaired driving, aggressive driving and distracted driving and promotes seatbelt use.  For more information on the Toward Zero Deaths campaign, please visit towardzerodeathsmd.com.

Conclusion

The percentage fatalities in Maryland is jumping up. The origin of roadways is destroying lives on all kind of transportation that use in roadways. As the percentage is mentioned “35 percent increase in commercial vehicle-related fatalities;

• 26 percent increase in young driver-involved fatalities; and

• Double the number of bicycle fatalities from 5 in 2014 to 10 last year.” However, some drivers committed some mistakes which they do not do to let them avoid been victims of roadways ” Impaired driving;

JEFF LEMIEUX IS A MEMBER OF STRONG TOWNS AND A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF GREENBELT, MD. TODAY HE SHARES AN OPINION PIECE ABOUT THE MARYLAND STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION.

To the right is a picture I took last year at the Maryland State Highway Administration’s (SHA’s) District 3 offices in Greenbelt. I don’t even remember what the meeting I attended was about. Instead of listening to the speakers, all I could do was stare at that amazing mural across the room. Notice the pleasant streetscape and smiling people. It looks like a great street to shop on, wait for the bus on, play on.

We don’t actually have streets like that in Greenbelt, Md. Outside of the historic core, SHA controls all our important thoroughfares. And they’ve built them like high-speed superhighways, with turn ramps, guard rails, and overhead signs; not like the picture at all. These stroads are dangerous to cross, stressful to drive on, unpleasant to walk alongside, and terrifying to bike.

Despite the fabulous mural in their conference room, SHA is dominated by highway engineers, not street engineers. Trying to make a neighborhood street function like a highway is dangerous and unproductive. I think Maryland needs to split SHA into two separate organizations: one to build and maintain the true highways, and a completely separate organization, a State Streets Administration, to re-build and maintain our major commercial and residential streets.

Greenbelt Road Between Eleanor Roosevelt High School (on left) and Greenway Center Shopping Area (on right). Image by Google Streetview.

Greenbelt is located in Prince George’s county (population 900,000), adjacent to Washington DC. I don’t know why our state controls virtually all the main streets, but it does. Every attempt to get a crosswalk, a sidepath, a bike lane, a school crossing beacon, a speed limit change, a signal timing change goes through SHA.

Maryland’s SHA has received numerous complaintsabout dangerous roadways and intersections in the region. In some of those cases, people had been complaining about unsafe conditions for many years.

Up to date statistics on Maryland highway fatalities are not easy to obtain, and I couldn’t find statistics on fatalities on the SHA website. The most recent comprehensive data come from FARS, the NTSB’s Fatal Accident Reporting System. In 2012 and 2013, the most recent years for which FARS data are available, Prince George’s county had the highest number of traffic fatalities in the state, with 87 deaths in each year.

In response to complaints about the situation in Greenbelt, I recently received a letter from the SHA administrator stating that the agency was 100 percent dedicated to safety. However, there were no statistics or initiatives cited to back up that claim. And the evidence against that claim on our streets is compelling. Our main streets are designed for speed, not safety.

Our highway-style street designs cue drivers to speed through complex areas. They induce whiplash driving and sudden lane changes when a driver – expecting highway speeds – has to slow down. Needless to say, bad crashes are common. (Ironically, despite all the highway engineering, traffic volumes are actually down or flat at many local measuring spots.)

Can a state highway administration change? Is it possible to remake highway organizations into agencies that capable of designing safe streets in high-density areas? At this point, I’m not sure I even care.

I think the more obvious solution is to just split the agency in two. Rather than trying to change an entrenched institution, let the people where are good at building highways go on building them. But form a new agency to build and maintain our streets the way we need them for safety and economic productivity in more densely populated areas.

Thanks to Strong Towns, here’s how I’ve come to think the highway vs. street distinction:

Greenbelt Road at the Greenbelt National Park Entrance (on the left), office park entrance on the right. Image from Google Streetview.

Conclusion

As Maryland roadways seem, they are considered the most dangerous to tour around. Fatalities are increasing and growing  caused by bad roadways causing accidents to death.”In 2012 and 2013, the most recent years for which FARS data are available, Prince George’s county had the highest number of traffic fatalities in the state, with 87 deaths in each year.” Increasing badly which is a significant change from the past

……………..Answer preview…………….

With all of the traffic incidents and accidents, the cost for America to cover the damages and lost is averaged to be around 231 – 433 billion dollars per year. Out of this number, 100 billion dollars alone is covered by insurance leaving 131 – 333 billion dollars left to be paid by the government……………………

APA

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