Dear Editor, Despite the higher prices for gasoline, record
numbers of Californians are expected to hit the road this summer
vacation season. Unfortunately, not all of them will return from
vacation.
Dear Editor,
Despite the higher prices for gasoline, record numbers of Californians are expected to hit the road this summer vacation season. Unfortunately, not all of them will return from vacation. Despite improvements in traffic safety and vastly increased education on responsible driving, an appalling 4,200 people will likely lose their lives on our state’s roadways during 2006. CHP statistics show that July and August are traditionally the deadliest months of the year on our roadways.
These aren’t due to traffic “accidents.” They are the result of poor driving decisions on the part of someone. The three main causes of roadway deaths in California are speeding, DUI, and not wearing a seat belt. Focusing our attention on these three areas has helped drop the California Mileage Death Rate (number of deaths per 100 million miles driven) by 48 percent between 1985 and 2005.
The CHP intends to keep that trend going through its mission of enforcing safety laws to save lives. The California Highway Patrol has launched a special enforcement campaign, “The Summer of Heat,” whereby our officers will be out in force aggressively enforcing these three violations in particular.
In recent years, our educational and enforcement efforts have paid off. According to statistics from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 92.5 percent of Californians buckle up resulting in a 38 percent drop in the number of people killed by not wearing seat belts. Put another way, 657,000 Californians began buckling up this past year. We’re still looking to convert that remaining 7.5 percent who aren’t putting on their seat belt.
Due to public awareness campaigns such as “Click It or Ticket” Californians are getting the message and the numbers are heading in the right direction. On the other side of the ledger, this past year, speeding citations increased by 10 percent, due in part to increased enforcement on certain targeted roadways where speed has proven to be a special problem. Even normally law-abiding citizens are violators. Speed limit signs are not suggestions. They’re the law. Those limits are based on engineering and scientific data that define the speeds at which the roadways can be safely driven.
Most troubling to me are the recent numbers on DUI fatalities. The trend is inching in the wrong direction. In 2002, 1,411 people were killed in DUI crashes on our state’s roadways. In 2004, that number had risen to 1,462. This trend needs to take a U-Turn. The CHP has issued a call to action for the public to help us reduce impaired driving. You’ll see it on Caltrans signs on the highway and in rest stops. “Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1.” With your help we can get these impaired drivers off the road.
We all have to share the roadways with each other. That requires patience and courtesy. There will be congestion, especially in our urban areas where “Rush Hour” will be anything but a rush and will last much longer than an hour.
I’d like to personally thank the majority of motorists who drive responsibly and observe the law. But, to the rest of you who just don’t or won’t get the message, The Heat Is On.
Mike Brown, Commissioner
California Highway Patrol
