Just How Safe Are We Again?

The Office of Legislative Research has released a report on highway and road safety. While it may be obscured with bureaucratic diction, it does contain some important information. The Danbury-News Times has released the results of the report:

In 2003, there were about 1.5 deaths on American roads for every 100 million miles driven. In Connecticut, the number was less than one death per 100 million miles.

Moreover, in the 13-year period from 2000 to 2003, Connecticut's fatality rate dropped by 26 percent, while the national rate dipped 15.4 percent.

In 2003, 294 people died on Connecticut roadways, down from 385 people in 1990.

As if Gov. Jodi Rell needed more good news. It's difficult to say exactly why Connecticut is faring better than the nation as a whole. Chris Cooper, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said it was because "We've got 150 construction projects per year, mostly for capacity and safety." He linked the construction projects, like the widening of roads, to an increase in road safety, which make it easier for drivers to navigate and less likely to veer off roads.

However, I don't think it is the only reason. Connecticut is a state that has a high emphasis on driving, unlike some other states in which most of the residents work in the same town that they live in. Here, residents can drive for over an hour in the morning to get to work, whether it is New York or Hartford or a number of other locations. This could be a positive for the state, as parents are more likely to encourage their children to drive safely and instruct them more thoroughly if they themselves are used to maneuvering through heavy traffic every morning. Also on TV there are always ads during the holidays, usually featuring the governor, imploring residents to drive safely. Population density could play a factor. As the roads are often filled with cars, drivers are restricted from speeding uncontrollably, thus less likely to lose control of the vehicle. Still, it appears we're doing enough speeding:

In the last two years, the number of crashes in the state caused by speeding has increased by 3 percentage points, according to the [report]. During the same period, the number of traffic tickets issued by state police dropped by about 10,000.

In 2001, about 31 percent of the accidents on Connecticut roads were caused, at least in part, by speeders. By 2003, the latest year for which statistics are available, the rate increased to nearly 34 percent.

Speeding in Connecticut is most likely quite different than speeding in a state like Montana. In Montana, without any other cars on the roads, a driver could possibly accelerate the car to over a hundred miles per hour. In Connecticut, "speeding" is probably five to ten miles over the speed limit per hour. Regardless, it still plays a role. Another thing that this report shows us that we need is more police on the roads. With Connecticut supposedly last among all states in job creation, isn't this an excellent opportunity...