Planners hope to help stem traffic deaths

Efforts to reduce trafficrelated fatalities and injuries in Northwest Arkansas got a green light on July 27 with $500,000.

The Policy Committee of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission accepted federal grant money to prepare a safety plan and a matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation.

Regional Planning is the designated transportation planning organization for the region.

The resolution notes $400,000 in federal money the region receives has already been earmarked for the work. The Walton Family Foundation provided the required $100,000 match.

Regional planners in May approved developing a comprehensive safety plan using a consulting firm expected to be hired in the coming months.

A recently approved federal infrastructure law established the Safe Streets and Roads for All discretionary grant program with $5 billion in grant money available over the next five years, including $1 billion next year. The minimum grant would be $5 million.

Eligible activities for the program include developing or updating a comprehensive safety action plan; holding planning, design and development activities in support of an action plan; and carrying out projects and strategies identified in an action plan.

The goal locally is to have the regional action plan in place in time to apply for that grant money, according to Elizabeth Bowen, with Regional Planning. Counties, cities, towns, transit agencies or other state subdivisions can apply for the grants.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced earlier this year the number of deaths on America’s roads had reached a 16-year high. Arkansas hasn’t seen that amount of increase, but high speed and reckless driving are still killing Arkansans at a higher rate than before the covid-19 pandemic, according to the Arkansas State Police.

On May 17, the Safety Administration announced the number of reported traffic fatalities had risen from 38,824 in 2020 to 42,915 last year. The 10.5% increase makes 2021 the deadliest year on American roads since 2005. The numbers released were an early estimate.

From 2020 to 2021, Arkansas’ increase in traffic deaths was about half that, with preliminary fatality reports compiled by the Arkansas Department of Public Safety indicating 651 people died in wrecks last year, up about 5% from 619 killed in 2020.

The numbers so far this year are down slightly.