By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
Contrary to national trends, Rowan County has seen more highway fatalities this year than in 2007, according to data provided by the N.C. Highway Patrol and municipalities in the county.
In 2007, 30 people died in Rowan County automobile crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which compiles data from various agencies, including state transportation departments.
Entering the final days of 2008, at least 31 had lost their lives in wrecks.
The Highway Patrol reported 27 traffic deaths and Salisbury police reported four. No other municipalities reported fatal crashes and figures for the Rowan County portion of Kannapolis were not available.
In those wrecks investigated by the Highway Patrol, deaths rose from 24 in 2007 to 27 so far this year.
Meanwhile, highway fatalities are down 10 percent nationwide, and most Rowan municipalities also report a drop.
First Sgt. B.E. Hower of the Highway Patrol says Rowan accidents have also been different in another way.
“In our county, collisions that have involved fatalities, the majority have occurred when they cross the center line,” he said. “That’s an unusual trend.”
Usually, he said, accident deaths involve excessive speed.
In most of the overall collisions, seat belts were used. In fact, seat belt usage has increased across the nation, he said.
High gas prices also meant fewer people traveling on the road and fewer accidents.
Still, the number of fatalities in Rowan County has slightly increased.
“We can’t control who’s going to get killed. But we can try to reduce the number of collisions by being on the road ó out there enforcing the laws,” Hower said.
The highway patrol has programs to help reduce speeding. Troopers also talk with teenagers about their driving habits.
The highway patrol had seen the number of accidents go down steadily over the previous two to three years.
Troopers constantly target specific high-traffic roads to reduce collisions.
“By targeting those roads you reduce speeding, careless and reckless driving, people not using their seat belts,” Hower said.
There is a misconception that a reduction in collisions means there will be a reduction in fatalities.
“That, not necessarily, will always happen,” he said.
Accidents as a whole are down 6.7 percent from last year, Hower said.
Cities, towns
Many law enforcement agencies report decreases in overall collisions from 2007 to 2008.
And they cite increased traffic patrol as the No. 1 reason for the decrease.
– China Grove
The last traffic fatality in China Grove occurred in 2007, Police Chief Hodge Coffield said.
However, there have been more traffic accidents on U.S. 29A, or North Main Street, he said.
Coffield said he’s found that is the intersection where people get lost looking for the downtown area, are looking for Carson High School or any other landmarks.
“Mostly 29A keeps us busy,” he said.
The biggest contributing factor to collisions is inattention, Coffield said.
“It’s anything from reaching for objects in the car, cell phone usage. You see people reading maps or reading books and trying to drive,” he said.
Women applying makeup, people smoking and even the simple act of making a left turn have contributed to some of the wrecks, Coffield said.
When drivers don’t pay attention, he said, they rear-end the car in front of them.
People using cell phones have caused a couple of crashes in China Grove, he said.
Coffield advises motorists to concentrate on the road and diminish distractions. He said motorists deal with multiple distractions, including the radio, GPS, cell phones and even their passengers.
Coffield suggests simple rules for driving, such as placing both hands on the wheel and pulling over when having a long conversation on a cell phone.
“Multi-tasking is not for driving. Driving should be concentrated on 100 percent,” he said.
The department averages about 160 collisions a year and the numbers fluctuate. November was the worst month this year, with 21 wrecks, Coffield said.
“Those are down. Our initial goal is we are trying to get them down by 10 percent,” Coffield said.
He credits the decrease in overall collisions to an increase in driving while impaired arrests and speed enforcement.
The department received a three-year grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, which is under the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Collision reports are sent quarterly to the Division of Motor Vehicles in Raleigh, Coffield said.
– Salisbury
The Salisbury Police Department has investigated 1,727 wrecks so far in 2008. Of those, four were fatalities and 67 were alcohol-related.
In 2007, Salisbury reported 2,020 wrecks, including three fatalities and 60 that were alcohol-related.
“It seems our more serious injuries have occurred on Jake Alexander Boulevard because speeds are a little higher, said Lt. Melonie Thompson, with the Salisbury Police Special Operations unit.
Thompson said officers have been writing more speeding tickets, and the department has had more traffic enforcement programs on Jake Alexander.
– Rockwell
Rockwell Police Chief Hugh Bost also reports his department has not had any traffic deaths this year.
Two things have helped in reducing crashes: lowering the speed limit on U.S. 52 from 45 mph to 35 mph and the installation of a stop light at West Main Street near Food Lion.
Bost said both measures were taken because of recent development in the area.
“Before that, we had a lot of traffic crashes. And getting that stop light up there helped us immensely,” he said.
Increased traffic patrols have also helped to reduce collisions, Bost said. His department received a grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program in order to increase patrols.
“We are thankful that our traffic crashes are down in town. When people slow down and quit running into each other, it’s best for everybody involved,” Bost said.
– Landis
There have not been any crash-related deaths this year in Landis, said Lt. Mark Benfield, acting chief of the Landis Police Department.
The number of accidents has increased to 78 this year from 76 in 2007 after dropping from 101 in 2006.
Benfield attributes the decrease to more traffic enforcement.
“We’ve also seen an increase in seat-belt usage. It’s helped on the injury side of it,” he said.
– Nationwide
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters released a statement in early December saying the number of people killed in traffic crashes was expected to reach a new record low this year.
Early projections show an almost 10 percent drop in highway traffic deaths in the first 10 months of this year, she said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compiles statistics collected from each state on crashes for the year.
The administration is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Some 31,110 people died on the nation’s roads from January through October, compared to 34,502 in 2007 during the same 10-month time period.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the decrease in fatalities is in part due to the increase seat belt usage, which rose to 83 percent in 2008.
Improved road safety is another reason the DOT gives for the decrease in fatalities. The federal government has increased safety-related funding for state and local governments.
Many local municipalities, including Rockwell and China Grove, have in the past received grants to fund traffic and patrol programs.
The final traffic fatality numbers for 2008 will be available in the summer of 2009.