PENNSYLVANIA — Education. Enforcement. Engineering … and maybe economics, too.

There is no doubt that there are far too many variables literally in motion to pinpoint exactly why crash deaths on highways in Crawford County, across the state and around the nation have dropped to the lowest number since such records started being kept over 80 years ago. But highway officials and law enforcers — not ruling out the economy as a contributing factor — say the decline can be largely credited to a “Three E” approach that’s teaching safer driving, building better highways and cars and busting traffic law violators.

According to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation figures, 1,256 people died in traffic accidents in 2009. That’s a 14.4 percent decline from 2008, and the record low since the state started keeping tabs on traffic-related deaths in 1928. In Crawford County last year, 10 people lost their lives in crashes on state highways, down from 15 in 2008 and 22 in 2007.

“It’s probably a combination of things” behind the trend, said Crawford County-area PennDOT traffic engineer Brian Smith. “A lot of programs (are working) to change the way people think” about driving, roadways and vehicles are “constantly improving” in terms of safety engineering and “we’ve all heard news there’s a lot less driving going on” due to the troubled economy.

“I haven’t seen any hard evidence to prove that” last point, Smith said, “but it makes sense.”

Smith said traffic engineers have worked in recent years to develop low-cost, high-impact improvements that have ranged from an expansive project to install center-line rumble strips on thousands of miles of state highways to relatively simple placements of roadside signs bearing to-the-point safety keywords like ‘SLOW.’

“We’re trying to do that in areas where we’ve historically had high crash rates,” said Smith.

To identify  those high-risk areas, traffic and road experts like Smith routinely coordinate with state and local law enforcement officials, using extensive crash data to explore the questions of where, what, when and how. They also work together on developing educational programs for everyone one from child passengers to new drivers and senior citizens.

So “not one ‘E’ is the sole reason for reducing fatalities. They all work together,” said PennDOT’s regional spokesperson, Deborah Casadei.

Statistics indicate decreases specifically in the number of deaths attributed to alcohol, aggressive driving and drivers or passengers not using seat belts. Statewide, unrestrained deaths dropped from 567 in 2008 to 451 in 2009; alcohol-related deaths went from 531 to 442; and deaths in which aggressive driving was a factor dipped from 141 to 130, according to PennDOT.

Conneaut Lake Regional Police Chief Todd Pfiefer said local police departments across the county have used state and federal grant dollars in recent years to team with state police in targeted enforcement efforts aimed toward reducing deaths caused by each of those factors.

“I attribute a lot to us being involved” in those special details, he said. “It gives us the opportunity to get the officers out there and more visible,” and “it slows everybody down.”

The record drop does not mean educators, engineers and law enforcers are going to be letting up in the future. Quite the opposite, in fact, according to officials. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, according to road and vehicle safety advocates.

In January, Pennsylvania’s highway safety laws were given a low rating by the nonprofit group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, indicating state legislators had enacted only six and one-half of 15 recommended measures such as mandates for use of seat belts, motorcycle helmets and child-booster seats, bans on texting and cell-phone use, and efforts against drunken driving.

“Although we’re excited that motorists are driving safer than ever before, we can never lose sight that 1,256 loved ones lost their lives” last year, PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler said in a recent news release. And “we will continue to explore every option to help increase safety on Pennsylvania roads.”



 Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.