State Traffic Deaths Totaled 545 In 2012

546 Reported In ’11; U.S. Count Up 5%

A national report released Tuesday shows that traffic fatalities increased in 2012 for the first time in eight years. Arkansas, however, had one fewer fatality in 2012 than in 2011.

The National Safety Council report, using fatality accident data reported for each month by state traffic authorities, said there were 36,200 vehicle-related deaths in the U.S. last year, a nearly 5 percent jump from the 34,600 reported in 2011.

Council Vice President John Ulczycki said more people have been driving because of milder winters and an improving economy. Spikes inmiles driven correlate with the spikes in fatal crashes, he said.

“Although we have improved safety features in vehicles today, we also have new challenges, especially as it relates to teen and distracted driving, that need to be addressed on a national scale,” council President and CEO Janet Froetscher said in a news release. “We must work together now to reverse this latest trend to prevent needless tragedy.”

In Arkansas, state authorities tallied 545 vehicle-related deaths in 2012, the data show. In 2010, Arkansas had 544 vehicle-related fatalities.

Motorists in Southernstates, including Arkansas, didn’t have an unusual winter and likely saw little change in the economy, so they didn’t drive any more miles than usual, Ulczycki said.

Arkansas State Police records show decreases in fatalities from 2006-10. The agency has not collected and analyzed all data from local-level agencies for 2011 and 2012 collisions, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said. The state police consider a vehicle-related fatality as one in which a person dies within 30 days of the collision. The National Safety Council defines a vehicle-related fatality as one in which a person dies within a year of the collision, a news release about the study released Tuesday said.

Sadler said he thinks increased seat-belt use is helping keep Arkansas’ fatalities down.

“We certainly believe the seat-belt law has been one of the primary reasons we’ve been able to arrest that rate and reduce those fatalities,” Sadler said.

Drivers and front-seat passengers are required by Arkansas Code 27-32-702 to wear seat belts, but the law provides some exemptions, including for disabled passengers or drivers.

Little Rock police spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis said officers have focused their efforts on speeding violations with officers running radar and locating a mobile radarequipped trailer in neighborhoods. Motorists are also likely becoming more aware of distracted driving, she said.

Despite efforts to reduce fatal crashes, there are still several behaviors that contribute to having accidents, she said.

“Unfortunately, just because we have PSAs [public service announcements], it doesn’t mean everyone is going to quit,” she said.

The state police’s Highway Safety Office has directed its resources to enforcing laws on drunken driving and seat-belt use, Sadler said.

As in other states, Arkansas’Highway Safety Office personnel meet each year to set priorities on how to curb fatal accidents, Ulczycki said.

Arkansas authorities, he said, are concentrating on highvisibility enforcement of DWIs and seat-belt usage, targeting high-risk behaviors and road design problems. The state is also working to improve road safety in rural areas by building passing lanes on two-lane roads and increasing visibility, he said.

Rural roads generally aren’t well-lighted, and may be curvy and narrow, he said. Drivers typically speed more on rural roads, Ulczycki said.

“In a city street, other people will see it [the crash], and the time it takes to get the injured person to the hospital is much less,” he said. “On a rural road, it may not be witnessed, and the time it takes to get the injured person EMS treatment and to a hospital is another factor of survivability.”

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 02/21/2013

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