It's The Start Of Fall: Rash Of Rural Highway Deaths Cause For Concern

This past weekend there were far to many reports of sever injuries and deaths all around the Greater Minnesota. Maybe it’s the increased speeds with what may have been our last warm week or just the rush that seems to come with this time of year. Whatever the cause there should be some concern with the recent reports.

• A New York Mills woman was killed early Saturday when her car was broadsided by a semi on Highway 106 east of Bluffton.
• A driver was killed when his pickup truck collided with a farm truck hauling potatoes near the intersection of County Highway 75 and 320th Street in Otter Tail County.
• A 14-year-old Wyoming girl was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale after being critically injured in a one-vehicle crash in Wyoming
• A 23-year-old man from Dodge Center was killed early Sunday when his car and a semitrailer truck collided on Hwy. 14 in Dodge County.
• A 20-year-old ATV driver was westbound on the road when the ATV rolled. He suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse at the University of Minnesota, half of the 42,000 crash-related fatalities in the United States occur on two-lane rural roads, No matter what is done drivers must always be aware of:

• the amount and type of traffic sharing the highway with them. The traffic may be heavy or light and may include trucks, cars, motor homes, farm equipment, motorcycles and bicycles.
• changing weather conditions—fog, snow, water and ice, for example—that affect visibility and road conditions.
• the type of vehicle being driven, particularly the condition of the brakes and the weight of the vehicle, which affects braking ability.
• the character of the highway the driver is traveling. Drivers should adjust their speed for hills or for winding and narrow roads.
• the presence of intersections, railway grade crossings or pedestrians.

To many young people and their families suffered this past week. Our thoughts go out to all of them. Hopefully, enough will be learned to cut down on more weeks like this