Traffic deaths falling in the Tampa Bay area (Orlando, University: credit, how much)

[craigm1841]

Traffic deaths falling in the Tampa Bay area - Local News - Tampa, FL - msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40715100 - broken link)

TAMPA — Fewer than 400 people have died on Tampa Bay area roads this year – the smallest number in more than a decade.

That conclusion is based on preliminary numbers from state highway safety officials and is part of what's on pace to be a two-year slide in traffic deaths statewide. Last year, Florida reported the nation's largest one-year drop in traffic fatalities.

"I'm hoping it's not a blip," said Marianne Tussel, chief safety officer at the state Department of Transportation.
The drop in traffic deaths is encouraging, particularly given the state's history of high numbers of fatalities, Tussel said.

"I think a lot of society has gotten complacent about it," she said. "Each one of these deaths should be viewed as a tragedy."

It's hard to say exactly what's pushing down traffic fatalities in the Tampa Bay area. Traffic experts cite a combination of reasons:

* Governments have spent millions of dollars making the region's roads less dangerous.

* State officials and advocacy groups have launched campaigns aimed at getting more drivers to use seatbelts and watch out for motorcyclists.

* Vehicles have become safer, loaded with airbags and other gear.

* The prevalence of cell phones means emergency crews are alerted to crashes sooner, so more victims are treated faster.

And then there's the flailing economy: Double-digit unemployment means fewer people are on the road.

For all the safety campaigns have done to reduce traffic fatalities, they haven't had the impact the Great Recession has, said Ed Mierzejewski, director of the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.
"Realistically, you've got 10 percent fewer people going to work everyday," Mierzejewski said.

Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties collectively have averaged more than 500 traffic fatalities a year since the 1990s. Those deaths, which include drivers, passengers and pedestrians, hit a historic high during the mid-2000s economic boom, but dropped quickly, along with the economy.

In 2009, traffic deaths in the region fell by nearly 20 percent from the previous year, the sharpest decline in many years. Polk County saw the biggest drop – nearly 30 percent.

By comparison, Hillsborough County was down 22.5 percent for the year.

The change is even more dramatic compared with 2006 – when the local economy was surging. That year, 566 people died on Bay area roads, making it one of the region's deadliest years on record.

Polk County saw its traffic deaths drop about 41 percent from 2006 to 2009, compared with 26 percent in Hillsborough. Pinellas' fatalities fell by about 19 percent during that period, while Pasco's dropped about 13 percent.
The drop in traffic deaths also tracks with a decline in how much Bay area drivers are driving daily -- from nearly 90 million miles during the economic boom to just under 73 million last year, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Three hundred and seventy people have died on Bay area roads, as of early December. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties saw 417 deaths in 2009.

The drop in traffic deaths is good news for drivers, passengers and motorcyclists and pedestrians, about 120 of whom have been involved in fatal crashes per year for the past several years. Pedestrian deaths, however, have dropped. Between 2006 and 2008, about 100 pedestrians died each year in the Bay area. The number fell to 88 in 2009, a 12 percent drop.

Tampa's DOT office recently won a federal grant aimed at reducing the region's pedestrian deaths, Tussel said.
"One thing that's working overall is awareness," she said. "I'm hoping that's going to take hold in the pedestrian and bicycling communities as well."

Pedestrians and drivers alike need to pay more attention to what they're doing on the roads, Tussel said. Cell phones, in particular, have become deadly distractions.

"Nobody's paying attention to the job at hand," she said.
At other times, people are simply forgetting basic safety lessons. Jaywalking pedestrians, for example, are more likely to be hit than those crossing at intersections. And drivers turning right on red often forget they have to stop first, Tussel said.

One group that seems to be benefiting greatly from awareness campaigns is motorcycle riders. State officials and motorcycle advocates have spent several years reminding drivers to keep an eye out for riders, partly through bumper stickers that remind drivers to "look twice."
In the Bay area, fatal crashes involving motorcyclists fell from 99 in 2006 to fewer than 70 last year, a drop of nearly 30 percent.

While Mierzejewski pins much of the change on the economic downturn, state officials read the same numbers as proof that their safety awareness programs are working – something Mierzejewski doesn't rule out.

Sgt. Larry Kraus, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, credits programs such as the "Click it or Ticket" campaign, which urges drivers to wear seatbelts. The program got a boost last year from legislators, who passed legislation allowing law enforcement to pull over drivers for not wearing seatbelts.

"Law enforcement's recognizing more and more trouble spots and tackling those," Kraus said.

In truth, a combination of the economy and safety awareness has helped bring down fatalities, Tussel said.
"There's no silver bullet out there," she said. "But there's a lot of things that can be done."

[thethinktank]

I'm going to have to take credit for this one.

//www.city-data.com/forum/tampa...ded-every.html

[Eastern Roamer]

If we could somehow get drivers to pull over and stop when they run someone over, that might help save lives, too.

[craigm1841]

Originally Posted by Eastern Roamer

If we could somehow get drivers to pull over and stop when they run someone over, that might help save lives, too.

I usually check my rearview. If they are not moving- they are probably already dead, I just keep driving. Ive got places to go people!

[Jenniegurl]

Originally Posted by craigm1841

I usually check my rearview. If they are not moving- they are probably already dead, I just keep driving. Ive got places to go people!

What a mess

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by craigm1841

I usually check my rearview. If they are not moving- they are probably already dead, I just keep driving. Ive got places to go people!

The Tampa Bay area is still number 2 behind Orlando in deadly hit an runs in the nation, nothing to joke about.

As of yesterday 10 bike riders have been killed since July.

Something very wrong here.

[algia]

If people would be actually driving........and not just here......and stop "multitasking" by being busy texting, brushing hair or teeth, puting make up on, shaving etc etc etc that number would be down to 10 that would actually BE accidents. Most are or should be first degree murder because if you're doing any of the above mentioned you are not actually driving you're using your car as a bathroom and a weapon!

Just yesterday I was driving south on DM and this van was all over the road, getting closer and closer to the car in front of him...then weaving twoards the grass and then back......terrible!

[tewas]

Just quick question: Is it worth biking on the roads, or there is high change that you will get hit here?

[craigm1841]

Originally Posted by tewas

Just quick question: Is it worth biking on the roads, or there is high change that you will get hit here?

depends on where... There are places I would bike in the bay area no problem, other places I wouldnt dream of it.

[algia]

There are places that are bike friendly, you have Suncoast Trail, pretty long....that you can bike undisturbed, however using a bike as a "commuting to work device" I would NOT encourage it because the bike lanes desapear in traffic and you're SOL!

Originally Posted by tewas

Just quick question: Is it worth biking on the roads, or there is high change that you will get hit here?