DOT chief taking look at guardrails
It was good to see the quick response our Sunday editorial on Garden State Parkway fatalities in Monmouth and Ocean counties got from state Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri. In a story in today's paper, "Are guardrail gaps killing motorists," , Kolluri said the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which operates the Parkway, will do a quick analysis of accident statistics to determine whether more guardrails are needed. The installation of more guardrails was one of the recommendations included in the editorial.
There are many contributing factors to the high numbers of deaths and fatalities on the Parkway. The absence of guardrails on some portions of the highway is an important one. According to State Police statistics, of the 185 fatal accidents since 2002, 74 of them -- 40 percent -- involved impact with trees. That's a higher figure than the stunning 37 percent of fatals involving people who weren't wearing seatbelts - a figure that actually rose to 50 percent in 2006.
The 101 fatalities that occurred on the Monmouth and Ocean portions of the Parkway since 2002 are only a part of the story, of course. While I haven't been able to get breakdowns yet on the number of accident and injuries on the two-county stretch of the Parkway, there have been more than 43,000 reported accidents on its full 173-mile length, resulting in nearly 15,000 injuries, over the past five years.
This problem needs to be on everyone's radar.
There are many contributing factors to the high numbers of deaths and fatalities on the Parkway. The absence of guardrails on some portions of the highway is an important one. According to State Police statistics, of the 185 fatal accidents since 2002, 74 of them -- 40 percent -- involved impact with trees. That's a higher figure than the stunning 37 percent of fatals involving people who weren't wearing seatbelts - a figure that actually rose to 50 percent in 2006.
The 101 fatalities that occurred on the Monmouth and Ocean portions of the Parkway since 2002 are only a part of the story, of course. While I haven't been able to get breakdowns yet on the number of accident and injuries on the two-county stretch of the Parkway, there have been more than 43,000 reported accidents on its full 173-mile length, resulting in nearly 15,000 injuries, over the past five years.
This problem needs to be on everyone's radar.
posted by Randy Bergmann at 11:13 AM
7 Comments:
I don't think it's reasonable to argue that guardrail gaps are killing motorists. Guardrails are there only because we don't take driving seriously. Were drivers to slow down, pay attention and respect other drivers, there wouldn't be any guardrails on the roads at all so gaps would be irrelevant. We need to educate drivers better and the police need to enforce the laws. More people die on U.S. roads each year than died on 9/11 but our almost psychotic sense of independence keeps us ignoring the warnings and refusing to drive rationally.
Guardrails are a symptom of the problem, not a solution for it.
Guardrails save the lives of innocent drivers who are obeying the law and driving prudently but who are forced off the road through no fault of their own (ie ... icy roads, a reckless driver crashes into their car). To say that guardrails are "only" there because drivers are not taking driving seriously enough is just plain ignorant.
You made my point for me. Those innocent drivers are victims of exactly what I spoke of. So guardrails wouldn't be necessary if drivers took driving more seriously.
As for icy roads, drivers who can't handle icy roads shouldn't be on them. Not being prudent about road conditions is the fault of the driver. Stop making apologies for people who have no sense of judgment.
Assuming that we could wave a magic wand and make everyone on New Jersey's roadways take driving "seriously," the need for guardrails would still exist.
Truck drivers and other motorists would continue to have heart attacks or strokes and literally die at the wheel while their vehicles moved at 65 MPH and forced other innocent drivers off the road. Deer would continue to be as dumb as they are and conintue in their anonying habit of running in front of oncoming traffic. Tires would continue to blow out unexpectedly. We could go on all day discussing scenarios where driver error or poor judgment would not be factors in causing accidents that send even the most "serious" motorists off the road.
Guardrails save lives. Again, to say that guardrails "only" exist because drivers do not take driving seriously enough is just plain ignorant.
Yes, guardrails do save lives. I've never said they don't. And I've never said there was anything akin to a magic wand to make drivers take driving seriously. Given that I have to correct you as to what I've said tells me you're not paying attention. Again, my point is that the real issue is that people don't know how to drive and few make any attempt to show consideration for other drivers. You may take issue with this, which I think shows your own ignorance, but the problems of so many deaths on the highways would be much better addressed were the real problems dealt with. The need for guardrails indicates a problem.
Randy this is your paper's best work.
I live off this stretch of Parkway and travel it twice daily.
The statistics you showed shocked me. I saw some of these accidents, including one where a car seemed hung up on a tree.
My wife and I have decided to keep the kids off the road and travel the back way until something is done.
Great job friend; great job.
Words have meaning. Don't use the word "only" if you don't mean it.
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