Simple Lesson: Slower Speeds, Fewer Fatalities

By its very nature, the traffic death toll on Virginia highways is bad news. But for the year that just ended, there was a glimmer of good news.

Although state officials are still tabulating the final figures, preliminary numbers indicate that the death toll for 2008 is the lowest since the state started tracking highway deaths in 1966. As of Dec. 29, the death toll stood at 803 — 218 fewer than the 1,021 who lost their lives on Virginia roadways during 2007. Those numbers, if they hold up for the year, reflect a 22 percent decrease from the year before.

Until 2008, the lowest number of deaths in a year was 839 set in 1992.

Why the drop in highway deaths? As Media General News Service reported last week, the decline in fatalities reflects a national trend suggesting people are driving less because of high gasoline prices earlier in the year and a worsening economy.

But state officials believe there is another, more important reason for the fewer deaths. Drivers are slowing down.

“I think we’re seeing some cultural change, some behavior change,” said John Saunders, director of the Virginia Highway Safety Office. “People are slowing down.”

That is good news for those whose job it is to keep track of the grisly death toll day after day. It is better news for those who are on the highways and depend on their fellow drivers to obey the speed limits and drive as carefully as they can.

The reason drivers are slowing down involved a number of factors, said Saunders, whose office is part of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Those factors include relentless driver education, better fuel economy and increased highway patrols.

“We hope that increased enforcement is part of it — that’s what we target,” said Saunders.

State police and highway safety officials believe their efforts have contributed to the lower death toll. The state launched in 2007 a “Highway Safety Challenge” that focused on increasing the use of seat belts, combating driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions while driving (talking on the cell phone comes to mind) and sharing the road with others.

The percentage of drivers using seat belts, for example, rose to its highest level, 80.6 percent, in 2008 from 79.9 in 2007, according to a DMV survey.

Drivers have become more aware of how serious it is to drive after drinking alcohol and have either selected designated drivers for their outings or stay at home and off the road. Police checkpoints for drunken drivers have sent the signal about how important it is to get drinking drivers off the road.

Those $4 a gallon gasoline prices taught lots of drivers the value and improved safety of keeping to the speed limit. Slower, safer speeds improve fuel mileage and reduce the cost of driving.

Ultimately, the answer to reducing the death toll on Virginia highways lies with the person behind the wheel.

Sgt. Tom Cunningham, state police spokesman for the Richmond division, put it best when he said, “Educational safety measures, as well as strict and aggressive enforcement by local and state police likely contributed to the reduced number of fatalities,” he said. “It’s not until we can get the cooperation of every motorist to drive more responsibly and less aggressively that we will be able to keep these numbers at a minimum.”

Reducing the slaughter on the state’s highways is a goal worth breaking again in 2009. Careful driving at slower speeds will help achieve that goal.