Drivers increase but crashes drop

Sometimes, when county statistics figures fall, it's bad news. Nobody wants to see dwindling revenues or falling graduation rates. But when the number of accidents on county highways decreases, that's good news.
According to Orange County Sheriff Mark Amos, a study conducted by his office of localities with the number or licensed drivers similar to Orange County's showed the total number of car crashes has gone from 413 in 1999 down to 394 in 2008. And, the number of accidents decreased by 19 while the number of drivers on county roads increased by more than 5,000 over the last decade.
Of the 18 localities in the comparison, Orange County has the 11th-highest number of total licensed drivers; there were 24,531 licensed drivers in Orange County in 2008. Among the 18 counties with a like number of licensed drivers, Orange ranks right behind the counties of Mecklenburg, Louisa, and Isle of Wight, and just ahead of Prince George, Pulaski and Russell Counties.
Comparing apples to apples, among 17 Virginia counties with between 21,000 and 30,000 licensed drivers, Orange County had the least number of crashes in 2008, with 394. Gloucester County, with 29,132 drivers, reported 436 crashes in 2008, and there were 481 crashes in Smyth County, which has a total of 23,294 drivers.
And, the county reported the fewest injuries (241) as a result of car crashes in those 18 counties for 2008. Orange County is tied for the sixth-place ranking for fatalities with Russell County; both reported five fatalities in 2008.
In an analysis of the more recent years in the comparison, crashes on Orange County roads show the number declined dramatically between 2005 and 2008. There were 514 crashes in 2005; there were 120 fewer in 2008. And the number of crashes dropped by 38 within the last two years of the study, from 432 in 2007 to 394 in 2008.
Amos said a renewed commitment to enforcing road rules has much to do with Orange County's improved standing. The department's recently created traffic division-which added two positions, two cars and related equipment to the sheriff's office, has played a significant role in improving safety on county roadways, Amos said.
Along with the traffic division's increased visibility on county roads, Amos said similar stepped-up patrol by state police has helped drivers stay between the lines and maintain safe speeds.
State Troopers have increased enforcement at key areas in Orange County's highway systems, explained Virginia State Police Sgt. F.L. Tyler.
"We've done increased patrols and we've identified problem areas and increased enforcement there," Tyler said. In addition, state police have participated in programs aimed at helping drivers become more aware of potential hazards, and ways to stay safe on the roads, he added.
And those efforts by local and state law enforcement to prevent crashes are bolstered by improvements to some of the county's most notorious intersections.
"VDOT has helped by improving some of the intersections on Route 20," Amos said. Specifically, he added, various lights, signs, turn lanes and improved sight lines at the intersections of Routes 522 and 20 and down a ways at Routes 601 and 20 have helped keep the number of crashes in the county on the decrease.
Amos speculated that perhaps the greatest factor in making county highways safer is an increased awareness on the part of drivers themselves. Drivers are becoming more cognizant of potential dangers, Amos said, specifically on Route 20, which many identify as "the worst road in the county," and of the risk of getting nabbed by deputies and troopers for moving violations. So locals are slowing down at blind corners and crossroads and looking twice before making a left turn across a lane of 55-mile-per hour-5 p.m. traffic, and that's keeping them from becoming a highway statistic.