Barry Meadows, Public Affairs Officer for Kentucky State Police, Post One, urged travelers to drive defensively, to keep their speed down and to buckle their seat belts. He said that although there are more alcohol-related collisions during the summer months, simple lack of attention is the cause of most accidents.
“Inattention cause most of all crashes,” Meadows said. “Things like talking on a cell phone often lead people to drift into the other lane.”
Meadows said that although there are typically a few more accidents on country roads, there still way too many crashes on four-lane highways, and more of those are related to speeding. He also that driving tired and fatigued is a major issue.
All these factors contribute to the most common type of accident year round, which is overcorrection, Meadows said.
“Once you’re at a certain angle, there’s no way you can avoid it,” he said. “Your wheels dig into the road, and it can lead to a turnover.”
Running into deer can also be a problem at any time of year, but wildlife collisions don’t occur as often during the summer. Meadows said that the peak months for hitting deer are in November and December.
“Deer move a lot more during the cold than during the hot,” he said.
The most recent statistics Meadows had available showed that collisions increased in Trigg County from 2004 to 2005. Records showed 288 collisions in 2004 and 335 in 2005, an increase of 16.3 percent. Six of the 2004 accidents were alcohol-related, compared with 23 in 2005, an increase of 283.3 percent.
Meadows said that his specialty is collision reconstruction and if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that seatbelts work. He encouraged everyone to consider all this advice while driving this summer.
“Get plenty of rest, keep your speed down and use your seat belt,” he said.
