Oct 20, 2008 - 04:05:14 CDT
Traffic fatalities are down slightly this year, when compared to the same day last year.As of Thursday, 84 people have died on North Dakota roads, Highway Patrol Maj. Neil Johnson said. In 2007, 92 people had died on North Dakota roads by Oct. 16.
The 84 people this year have died in 80 crashes, while last year the 92 people were killed in 76 crashes, Johnson said.
The statistics did not include a fatal crash in eastern North Dakota on Friday, which accounts for the 85th death on North Dakota roads. A 56-year-old Fargo man driving a sugar beet truck died when his truck collided with an empty corn syrup tanker, driven by a 33-year-old Minnesota man, who was not injured. The highway patrol said it happened on state Highway 13 in Richland County just after 8 a.m., near Mooreton.
Also not included are four deaths from two Friday accidents. A Friday morning car-van accident west of New Town killed Lynae Crowe, 17, 6-month-old Jayden Crowe and Dorene Standish, 47.
Eva Almanza, 17, of Hatton, was killed in an SUV rollover Friday night on Highway 18 north of Hatton. The other vehicle involved in the accident was a car driven by a 17-year-old boy, who has not been identified. He was uninjured.
Gene LaDoucer with AAA said nationally, people are out on the roads less this year than last.
"Gasoline usage nationwide is down almost 6 percent," he said.
LaDoucer does not know whether fewer people are out on North Dakota roads, or whether such a thing would correlate to the slight decrease in fatalities this year. He has heard, anecdotally, that people seem to be driving slower in an effort to conserve gasoline and that more are wearing seat belts.
However, an increase in fatalities stemming from motorcycle crashes this year also may be related to increased gas prices, LaDoucer said. More untrained riders may be getting on motorcycles in an attempt to decrease gas costs, he said.
Though the lower number shows an improvement over 2007, Johnson cautions that one multiple-fatality wreck can skew the statistics.
"It can change quickly,"he said. "One bad (multiple) fatality can raise havoc for our number."
In both 2007 and 2006, there were 111 fatalities on North Dakota roads. In 2005, there were 123, and there were 100 in 2004.
While driving may seem more perilous in the coming driving months, Johnson said traffic deaths do not increase dramatically during those times. However, drivers often confront "a little learning curve each winter," he said.
LaDoucer suggests people begin preparing mentally to slow down and adjust their driving for the snow and ice that are bound to come before the year is through.
(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)
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