November is “Highway Safety Month” in Alaska, as declared by Governor Sean Parnell.
And Tuesday in Anchorage, personnel from various state agencies met for the release of the Alaska Strategic Traffic Safety Plan.
The plan is mandated by the federal government and must be reviewed every four years. In 2007, the state set a goal to reduce the rate of fatalities and major injuries by one third over a decade
Still, this year so far, there have been 60 deaths on Alaska’s roadways – that’s four more than in 2010. Pat Kemp, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, says automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 34.
The state says seatbelt use is up, and alcohol related accidents are down. Joe Masters, Public Safety Commissioner, says there is a common factor in many accidents.
This year’s Strategic Traffic Safety Plan is focusing on three major areas. Driver behaviors, especially young drivers; lane departure and intersection crashes, and on special users of the transportation system, such as bicycles and motorcycles. The goal is to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in half by the year 2030.
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APTI Reporter-Producer Ellen Lockyer started her radio career in the late 1980s, after a stint at bush Alaska weekly newspapers, the Copper Valley Views and the Cordova Times. When the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Valdez Public Radio station KCHU needed a reporter, and Ellen picked up the microphone.
Since then, she has literally traveled the length of the state, from Attu to Eagle and from Barrow to Juneau, covering Alaska stories on the ground for the AK show, Alaska News Nightly, the Alaska Morning News and for Anchorage public radio station, KSKA
elockyer (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8446 | About Ellen
