As Alabama Traffic Deaths Soar, 'We're Washing Blood Off Our Highways Every Day'
The following may sound like an exaggeration: "We're washing blood off our highways every day," said Cpl. Jess Thornton of the Alabama State Troopers.
The statistics, however, say it's no exaggeration at all.
The number of people killed in car wrecks in Alabama this year is up 30% through Aug. 29 when compared to the same interval last year. In raw numbers, 423 people have died in Alabama car wrecks through Aug. 29, 2016. Through Aug. 29, 2015, the number was 324, according to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
"That's a disturbing trend," Thornton said.
It's not just an Alabama problem, either. Traffic fatalities nationally were up 7.2% in 2015 from 2014, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It was the largest year-to-year increase since 1966.
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The National Safety Council earlier this month said that preliminary estimates indicate motor vehicle deaths were up 9% through the first six months of 2016 compared with the same time period in 2015, and the roadways are dangerous around Alabama, too. Since the national upward trend of fatalities began in 2014, Florida has recorded a 43% increase and Georgia 34%.
"Our complacency is killing us," Deborah Hersman, CEO of the National Safety Council, said on the organization's website. "One hundred deaths every day should outrage us. Americans should demand change to prioritize safety actions and protect ourselves from one of the leading causes of preventable death."
RELATED: Traffic deaths on the rise as distracted drivers roam the roads
Thornton agreed, pointing to the high percentage of those killed in car wrecks who were not wearing seat belts. In Alabama, Thornton said that 60% to 70% of those who die in crashes were not buckled in.
"We're working crashes because of driver error," he said. "We're not working accidents. They're not accidents. They are wrecks, they're crashes, they're collisions. And they are happening because of driver error. They are happening because people are making the decision to get behind the wheel impaired. They're happening because people are speeding. They're not using their signals. They're following too close. They're driving distracted.
"All those things cause crashes, and that's why they're happening. They're preventable. That stuff's preventable. Driving distracted is preventable. Driving drunk is preventable. Driving too fast, that's preventable."
As for people wearing seat belts, Thornton said, "We can talk it until we're blue in the face, but some people just don't want to put them on."
Traffic fatalities have surged in Alabama this year after remaining relatively flat in recent years. Over the past five years, an average of 524 people have died annually in car wrecks — with a high of 547 in 2011 and a low of 511 in 2014.
This year, however, traffic fatalities in Alabama are already at 81% of that average with more than four months left in 2016.
Thornton pointed out that Alabama is on pace to have more than 600 people killed in car wrecks by the end of the year.
While the consensus among experts that drunk driving, speeding and not wearing seat belts are the primary causes of fatal wrecks, Thornton said those problems are compounded in Alabama. Because of state budget cuts, there are fewer troopers on the roads for traffic enforcement.
A 2015 study by the University of Alabama said that the state needed more than 1,000 troopers on its roads for highway safety. The state currently employs less than half that number.
"The correlation is that there is not enough of us as a deterrent," said Thornton, adding that in a trooper's average day, only about 30% to 35% of his time is doing "proactive enforcement." The rest of the day is responding to calls.
"Until our trooper numbers get up to where they need to be," Thornton said, "I hate to sound cynical, but I don't see our fatal crashes going down."
