Crashes are preventable

Early in February, five people were killed and another three seriously injured in a single cross-centerline highway crash in Arkansas. There was little news and media coverage of this tragic crash. Imagine the news coverage and public outcry if it happened in a single shooting.

Similarly, if about 550 people died of the flu every year in Arkansas, the Legislature would demand that state agencies do everything possible to prevent this annual loss of life. Yet about 550 Arkansas mothers, fathers, daughters and sons die every year on our highways.

Highway crashes are the number one cause of death for those under the age of 35 in the United States. Many of these fatalities are not the result of freak accidents—they are preventable crashes.

Driver behavior has been found to be the major contributing cause of over 80 percent of all highway fatal crashes. However, there are a number of low-cost safety improvements the state could implement to reduce these fatal crashes. These include shoulder and centerline rumble strips, safety edges on all asphalt overlays, and more and improved signs at curves. These could be implemented on our higher-volume roadways as is done in many other states.

There is no reason to have 550 empty chairs at Arkansas’ Easter dinner table next month.

These deaths and serious injuries on our Arkansas highways represent a public health epidemic which needs to be addressed now.

TOM WELCH

Fairfield Bay