In 2008, nearly 400 people in the U.S. were killed in traffic accidents on Thanksgiving weekend alone, according to the National Public Radio (NPR) Website (www.npr.org). In all of 2008, more than 37,000 people died in car accidents.
These are astonishing numbers that the public and the government are becoming aware of and they are trying to think up ways to prevent these statistics.
One of these measures is new highway safety awareness. Sergeant Ted Tingey, a state trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol, revealed a few of these programs to help raise awareness.
“Stepped up enforcement campaigns dealing with drunk driving, occupant protection, and speed related issues have helped in letting the public know that these violations will not be tolerated,” said Tingey. “Education efforts have been expanded to address the issues of safe driving.”
Education efforts certainly are a big deal right now. One of the most well known campaigns is the new “Texting While Driving” law, which recently made texting while driving illegal.
Tingey adds that the government is still working on safety measures, however.
“Each year during the legislative session, many new bills are presented concerning traffic safety. We have tried for the past couple of years to get a primary seatbelt law passed which could allow a police officer to pull over a driver for a seatbelt violation without having to look for another violation first,” he said. “Other laws address wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle and not being able to ride in the back of a pickup truck.”
He also added that roadway improvement will continue to take place in addition to the new roadway designs that “help people maintain control of their vehicles better”. These designs include new cables and barrier walls that keep drivers from crossing over their vehicles into oncoming traffic.
These procedures are definitely helping. The current fatality rate for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled is 1.27 deaths, as opposed to five deaths in 1969, stated the NPR webiste. The 37,000 highway related deaths from 2008 are the lowest number since 1961.
Also helping with these numbers are the safer cars. Crash tests are producing better results. In 1995, half of the vehicles tested at the Vehicle Research Center received a “poor” rating. Currently, all of them are getting at least a “good” rating.
Safer cars and new laws are certainly making a difference, but people also need to be careful and alert as they drive. All of these things combined will certainly bring about safer roads for everyone to drive on.