Why is driving on North Dakota roads more dangerous in the summer? – InForum

BISMARCK — As serious and fatal crashes continue to occur during the 100 deadliest days on the road between Memorial Day and Labor Day, safety leaders in North Dakota are warning drivers about the “false sense of security” that sunny summer days can create.

That sense of security when the snow melts has earned North Dakota the unfortunate honor of being named the state with the most reckless drivers by Travel and Leisure. While many point to the state’s high rates of drunk driving, low-cost speeding tickets and rural road network as reasons for accidents or reckless driving, officials in the state see a clear trend between summer driving conditions and catastrophic crashes.

The 100 deadliest days are twice as likely to have fatal crashes, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s 2022 Crash Summary report. Since late May, there have been nearly 50 crashes involving serious injuries or fatalities across the state, according to the Forum’s analysis of North Dakota Highway Patrol reports. About a third of those crashes were fatal, surpassing last year’s numbers at this point in the year.

In some of these accidents, motorcyclists were not wearing helmets and drivers or passengers were not wearing seat belts.

A recent crash near Jamestown that left two children dead and the driver and another child seriously injured has officials highlighting the dangers of summer driving. The mother of the two boys said they were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

The combination of risk factors, such as not using seat belts or safety equipment, and higher speeds in the summer can be a recipe for disaster.

“The clear roads and good weather conditions often give people a false sense of security. They know they can travel faster,” said Karin Mongeon, director of NDDOT’s Highway Safety Division.

“The winter weather in North Dakota really slows people down,” she said.

Mongeon works closely with Vision Zero, a 2018 government initiative aimed at reducing traffic fatalities in the state by preventing reckless driving.

The program prioritizes areas of concern based on statewide data submitted by county law enforcement. Key dangerous behaviors include drunk driving, not wearing a seat belt and speeding.

Mongeon said that while any number above zero is disastrous, traffic fatalities in North Dakota have decreased since the initiative began.

From 2017 to 2022, the number of fatalities dropped by more than 15%, dipping below 100 and the national average for the first time in decades, according to the 2022 NDDOT Crash Summary. Of the 98 fatalities in 2022, 69% of people were not wearing a seat belt, 38% of crashes were alcohol-related, 31% were due to speeding and/or aggressive driving, and 48% were lane departures.

A 2023 report is expected to be released in September, which will show 106 deaths. Despite the spike, Mongeon said she expects the downward trend to continue.

According to Sgt. Jenna Clawson Huibregtse, the Highway Patrol’s safety and education officer, education and outreach have proven to be essential components of Vision Zero.

Schools can designate themselves as Vision Zero schools, which leaves it up to students to choose their initiative, such as distracted driving or wearing seat belts. Coordinators recruit by attending community events and sending representatives to school board meetings.

The Highway Patrol also recently began releasing crash information regularly on social media. Crash reports are also available on the agency’s website.

“We’ve found that putting a face and a name to someone and putting all of our information in one place makes a difference,” said Clawson Huibregtse.

“We live in such a great state; there are responsible people driving every day and making good decisions, but we want people to be aware of the reality of what happens on the road and what our officers see every day,” she said.

Another Vision Zero approach to safer roads is physically rebuilding them.

Wider center and shoulder lines, roundabouts instead of intersections and more rumble strips are some of the projects that keep state engineers like Justin Schlosser busy. Since implementing more roundabouts alone, the total number of crashes has dropped by a third, according to an NDDOT traffic study released earlier this month.

“If there is a collision (at a roundabout), you are going to have some sort of side impact or rear-end collision. These are typically less severe collisions with injuries than an oblique collision. Typically, this is the most severe type of collision you can have,” Schlosser said.

“There’s just more emphasis on driver safety and making sure we don’t lose lives on our roads, but Vision Zero has certainly put more emphasis on that and helped us move in the right direction,” he added.

Clawson Huibregtse pointed out another factor that causes reckless driving: speeding tickets.

North Dakota has some of the lowest fines in the country, with fines ranging from $5 to $100, depending on the zone. For example, violators who drive 16 to 20 mph over the speed limit will pay $15. 36 to 45 mph over the speed limit is a $70 fine, and 46 mph or more results in a $100 fine, as stated in the Century Code.

“It’s just not a deterrent at all for people to not behave recklessly when they know there’s really no financial penalty,” Clawson Huibregtse said. “And it shouldn’t come down to that, it should come down to life and limb, but sometimes it just comes down to people’s wallets.”

Increasing the number of citations has been rejected in previous legislative sessions. But with more public interest in the issue, Clawson Huibregtse said she wouldn’t be surprised if the topic comes up again this coming session.

“We hope that as we work more with the various agencies, we can get that number down to zero, or as close to zero as possible,” she said.