Traffic fatalities in Colorado
For six years, I was Boulder’s municipal prosecutor. The driving mistakes that kill people are committed by the young and the old, the drunk and the sober. Usually, it’s a broad-side collision at 35 miles per hour or more that kills people in urban areas. Engineers and traffic signs can’t save us…
We bury driver’s ed students in minutiae. The hardest thing for young drivers to do is to learn from experience without paying too high a price. There are hundreds of rules of the road, but these three urban killers are the most important ones:
NEVER speed 20 mph over in residential neighborhoods.
NEVER make a left turn unless you KNOW you can complete it safely (no guessing allowed).
NEVER run a red light. Speeding: “The last time I should speed is when I’m in a hurry.” Put this reminder on a Post-it note on your steering wheel. Know when the seat of your pants is driving instead of your brain. Adjust your attitude accordingly.
Failure to yield: Don’t look for the cars, look for what you CAN’T see. Look for the blind spots and the cyclists. Did you see the little sports car that just changed lanes to get around the mini-van slowing to turn in front of you? BE PATIENT! Take the time you need to make the decision to turn left correctly EVERY time! And choose your regular routes so that you can make right turns instead of left turns.
Red lights: If you’re paying attention, you’ll NEVER run a red light. How many times have you forgiven yourself for a red light violation? Why? When you see a traffic light ahead, keep your eyes on it and keep your brain engaged. Most people who run red lights don’t see the light change. Don’t let yourself off the hook: If you didn’t see the light change, assume it changed the instant you looked away, not just as you looked back
Words to live by: “When I’m on a bike, I’m invisible. If a driver sees me, they’ll try to kill me.” Even in the daytime, drivers don’t see bicyclists when they’re there to be seen. A driver’s self-protective brain does not intercede for cyclists.
Last general rule: Always ask yourself, “Where’s my head at?” We drive the way we feel unless we compensate for it. When you’re in a car and in a hurry, you’re in your most dangerous frame of mind.
(For an in-depth version of this driving advice, send me an email.)
Ed Byrne, edbyrne@smarltanduse.com
This isn’t a new problem, as driving deaths have been rising for ten years. This isn’t merely due to the rising population, either. The rate of fatalities (deaths per mile driven) has been rising as well. And since we had more deaths last year than in the past forty years, it warrants some attention. The government is taking steps to educate us and make our roads safer. That’s a reasonable response. Carry on. Except…
In addressing this issue, funds are being allocated to public transit. Have the generous funds to transit been linked with saving lives? Let’s check. Over the last ten years, as deaths have been rising, our funding for RTD has remained consistent. If the plan is to get us out of our cars, it’s going to fail. Coloradans love their cars too much, our state is too big and too sparsely populated for that to succeed.
A good place to start is to understand the causes of these deaths. Of the 745 people killed last year, 278 (37%) were related to impaired driving. Alcohol is the most common impairment, but weed is advancing much quicker, up 50% in recent years. Speeding was a factor in 40% of fatalities and 10% were related to distracted driving, and the use of phones while driving is on the rise.
What about safer roads? Thirty-six percent of the deaths last year were of people outside the car: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The latter, well, they know the risks. For the other two, more widespread policies like the Vision Zero project in Boulder is a reasonable path.
Education is an obvious track to take, but haven’t we already been doing that? I was shocked to learn that, no, Colorado does not require any formal training to get a license, at least once a person is over the age of 16. Deaths involving teen drivers have increased significantly in the last five years. They now account for about 28% of all drivers killed. For comparison, drivers older than 65 make up 21% of deaths. But a new bill (Senate Bill 11), requiring formal training might change that, though it comes with a significant financial burden. Maybe this is a wise place for safety funds.
Perhaps there is another way to educate people. What about stricter penalties for driving under the influence? Maybe impound the offender’s car for a couple of months. Will that be a hardship for them? Of course! It’s designed to be a hardship. Also, that will take one potential weapon off the road and educate them on the risks of being irresponsible with other people’s lives.
Bill Wright, bill@wwwright.com