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Road deaths kept in check By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings While an estimated 426 people died on the highways and byways of Oregon in 2002, state transportation and police officials are finding some measure of solace in this grim tally. Oregon's state highways are regarded as safer for motorists after the number of traffic deaths fell in 2002. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Oregon Department of Transportation officials said the highway death rate is the second lowest since the Eisenhower administration, despite a doubling of the state population since the 1950s and the meteoric increase in highway traffic that has accompanied that growth. "We are encouraged, but we cannot celebrate because even with the reduction, 426 people lost their lives," noted Troy Costales, ODOT's transportation safety division manager. In 2001, the state had 488 traffic fatalities, against 524 in 1997. The lowest figure in recent years came in 1999, with just 414 traffic deaths, but on average, the yearly tally stretching back to the 1960s was 500 deaths, with three years with more than 700 fatalities. Costales cited high levels of seatbelt use, combined with improved highway technologies - such as cable barriers between opposing highway lanes - as well as improvements in law enforcement training as contributing to the decline of the state's annual death toll. "Seatbelt use in the state is very high - about 90 percent. And that's the best risk reducer we have. But we've also had very strong engagement from law enforcement. State police, as well as county and local police departments are very involved in doing traffic, and they're there to stay," Costales said. One reason compelling police to maintain their traffic safety efforts are the arrest figures, according to Costales. Roughly 80 percent of felony arrests stem from routine traffic stops, making them in Costales' view a significant part of general crimefighting efforts. Oregon State Police Captain Chuck Hayes concurred with Costales' position, and noted that OSP is having to do more with less, thanks to budget reductions that have winnowed the number of state troopers on patrol. "We have such fewer numbers of troopers around state, we're looking at ways of being more efficient at transportation safety. We're doing a lot of training now with new technologies, like laser and radar speed enforcement. We're also doing a lot of training with crash reconstructionists, as well as training our officers in drug recognition," Hayes said. Hayes said OSP has also increased its involvement in training county and local police in similar skills. "I think in the case of county and local police, we're all working better together. We have to, because of dwindling resources," he said. "For example, on a serious crash, Ashland police could be involved, or we could also have a crash team from Jackson County involving the Sheriff's Department. Whereas one agency may not have sufficient resources to devote two or three people, maybe a combination of other agencies could work together so that it's not such a drain on any one department." Both Hayes and Costales agree that improved training on recognizing intoxicated drivers has also helped to drop the death toll. According to Costales, an increasing number of drug users are driving under the influence, and that's forced police to look for different driving habits, such as driving without headlights, at excessively slow speeds, or without a seatbelt. "The funny thing is that somebody that's impaired won't use a belt as often. The traditional stuff of weaving and lane control still exist, but cars are better, and the roads are better. It used to be, with older cars, you had to steer it to keep it straight. Modern cars practically drive themselves. So officers know they need to get better at recognizing DUIIs to keep offenders off the road," Costales said. Shirley Hassberger, regional manager for the Medford office of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, declined to state whether her agency had any role in the decrease of traffic fatalities, but did say her agency targeted DUII clusters - those originating from a single bar, tavern or market. "Whenever we see a pattern of DUIIs out of a single establishment � we use that as a way to touch base with that licensee, and offer training to staff to address overservice issues," Hassberger said. "Whether we've played a role in the decrease of traffic accidents, I can't say. But we've done a really good job in this region with the compliance checks we do on an ongoing basis. With any luck, there's fewer kids out there drinking and driving." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -