There has been a great deal of dialogue surrounding the safety of our roadways, and specifically a certain intersection within our county. I wanted to take some time to share some background on traffic safety and our role in enhancing that safety.

First, let's cover the three basic types of accidents: property damage (PD), personal injury (PI), and fatal accidents.

The next piece we need to understand is what are called "contributing factors" for each accident, and there can be multiple contributing factors for a given accident. Some examples of contributing factors are speed, inattentive driving, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to yield the right of way, driving too fast for conditions, and impaired driving.

These contributing factors are important in this conversation because any proposed changes or modifications to a given area need to be driven by data relative to those factors. An example of this is the proposed implementation of rumble strips. If the contributing factors to accidents at that intersection are failure to stop at a stop sign or inattentive driving, then this may be a great way to reduce those accidents. However, if the contributing factors are failure to yield at a stop sign, then rumble strips would not be the appropriate solution.

Another proposed solution is speed limit reductions. These reductions are not something that should be applied without, once again, going back to the intended impact they would have. If the concern is that people are driving 65 mph in a 55 mph zone, we do not reduce the speed limit to 45 mph in the hope that people will now drive 55 mph. The solution here is adherence to, and if need be, increased enforcement of the current speed limit.

There are certain criteria established by the state for changing speed limits on local roads, such as topography and the proximity and volume of access points. Reducing speed limits should be pursued with great caution. While many people would likely like to see the speed limit reduced in their area, that would not be realistic or effective.

Another proposed solution is the installation of roundabouts. These are extremely costly and require a significant amount of space to construct. At this specific location, where a state highway intersects with a county highway and space is limited by private property and existing buildings, the incorporation of a roundabout is most likely not something the state would consider. Much like speed limit reductions, the construction of such safety mechanisms is not something we can implement at will.

So, what can we do? Let's get back to basics.

The first is speed limits. Having driven on and enforced traffic laws on our local roadways, I would say that our roads are not inherently dangerous if we are adhering to the posted speed limits. For this, we rely heavily on each driver to do their part, as we do not have the resources to maintain constant enforcement throughout the county every moment of the day.

The second part is improving our defensive driving skills. Too often, we fall into a false sense of security when we feel we have the right of way. What I mean by this is that we assume the vehicle approaching that stop sign is going to stop. We assume the vehicle coming out of that driveway or stopped at a stop sign sees us and will yield the right of way until we pass. We assume the vehicle coming toward us in the opposite lane is going to stay in that lane. We assume the vehicle in front of us will continue traveling at the same speed.

I could go on and on about the many factors at play as we all share our public roadways. My point is simple: Don't assume anything. Be prepared for everything. Slow down and cover the brake pedal as you approach and travel through an intersection. Give the vehicle in front of you an appropriate following distance. Minimize distractions inside your vehicle. These factors are what we call the human element, and they are the greatest contributing factor to both our safety and our risk, regardless of the activity we are pursuing.

We are fortunate to live in a free country with access to such individual mobility. That freedom brings with it a multitude of dangers and risks. We cannot and should not look to government to impose additional safety measures in pursuit of absolute safety every time there is an incident. There is no such thing as absolute safety, as achieving it would require the removal of, or at least severe restrictions on, many of our freedoms.

We would be better served by ensuring our own safety, and by extension the safety of others, through vigilance and responsible behavior every time we get behind the wheel.