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CNN Live At Daybreak
Finding Cause of Dangerous Roads
Aired June 23, 2003 - 06:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here is something to think about as you get ready for the morning rush hour. Highway crashes are often blamed on you, either you make a mistake or your car was in disrepair. But a new study finds the road itself can be the problem.
Here's CNN's Kathleen Koch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was October when Sandy Johnson (ph) approached this once poorly-marked intersection near Columbus, Ohio. A truck was coming the other way.
DEAN JOHNSON, HUSBAND OF CRASH VICTIM: Sandy (ph) thought he was yielding to her since it was a four-way stop, and she pulled out.
KOCH: But it wasn't a four-way stop, and the truck, which had no stop sign, continued, killing Sandy (ph) instantly.
A new study by AAA and "Reader's Digest" found more than 24,000 Americans died between 1998 and 2001 in crashes where the road was to blame.
DEBRA DEYOUNG, AAA: It's certainly a recipe for a head-on collision.
KOCH: AAA's Debra DeYoung says hazards abound even in the nation's capital.
DEYOUNG: There is no sign that all of a sudden you've only got to drive in the right lane. You don't have the two lanes.
KOCH: Lanes simply disappear.
DEYOUNG: Suddenly, I have half a lane. So, what do I do? Even this little sports car, I've got to slide over.
KOCH: Highway signs are confusing or non-existent.
DEYOUNG: Were we supposed to go to the right or stay here? We were, and that's where it is, and we just missed it.
KOCH: More than a third of the fatalities, the study noted, occurred at intersections, and the fix, say experts, can be simple.
BELLA DINH-ZARR, AAA DIRECTOR TRAFFIC SAFETY POLICY: Clear and better signs, protected left turn lanes, because that's a very difficult maneuver for many of us to make, and also better lighting just overall.
KOCH: Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan, have made similar changes over the last five years at 60 problem intersections and cut injury collisions in half. Dean Johnson got improvements made at the intersection where his wife died...
JOHNSON: And this is a list of the actual intersections.
KOCH: ... and has launched a Web site to improve dangerous roads and intersections nationwide.
JOHNSON: Death, a life-changing injury, those are the results for inaction.
KOCH (on camera): Study authors want Congress to earmark more federal transportation dollars for road safety improvements, especially at intersections.
(voice-over): Without that, local officials insist they can't afford to change signs, lighting and road markings across a city.
KAREN MILLER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES: What it comes down to is dollars, and the fact that many local governments don't have the capacity to be able to raise the funds needed for these capital improvements.
KOCH: But improvements, experts say, in the long run could save millions in property damage, hospital costs and insurance rates every year.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired June 23, 2003 - 06:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here is something to think about as you get ready for the morning rush hour. Highway crashes are often blamed on you, either you make a mistake or your car was in disrepair. But a new study finds the road itself can be the problem.
Here's CNN's Kathleen Koch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was October when Sandy Johnson (ph) approached this once poorly-marked intersection near Columbus, Ohio. A truck was coming the other way.
DEAN JOHNSON, HUSBAND OF CRASH VICTIM: Sandy (ph) thought he was yielding to her since it was a four-way stop, and she pulled out.
KOCH: But it wasn't a four-way stop, and the truck, which had no stop sign, continued, killing Sandy (ph) instantly.
A new study by AAA and "Reader's Digest" found more than 24,000 Americans died between 1998 and 2001 in crashes where the road was to blame.
DEBRA DEYOUNG, AAA: It's certainly a recipe for a head-on collision.
KOCH: AAA's Debra DeYoung says hazards abound even in the nation's capital.
DEYOUNG: There is no sign that all of a sudden you've only got to drive in the right lane. You don't have the two lanes.
KOCH: Lanes simply disappear.
DEYOUNG: Suddenly, I have half a lane. So, what do I do? Even this little sports car, I've got to slide over.
KOCH: Highway signs are confusing or non-existent.
DEYOUNG: Were we supposed to go to the right or stay here? We were, and that's where it is, and we just missed it.
KOCH: More than a third of the fatalities, the study noted, occurred at intersections, and the fix, say experts, can be simple.
BELLA DINH-ZARR, AAA DIRECTOR TRAFFIC SAFETY POLICY: Clear and better signs, protected left turn lanes, because that's a very difficult maneuver for many of us to make, and also better lighting just overall.
KOCH: Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan, have made similar changes over the last five years at 60 problem intersections and cut injury collisions in half. Dean Johnson got improvements made at the intersection where his wife died...
JOHNSON: And this is a list of the actual intersections.
KOCH: ... and has launched a Web site to improve dangerous roads and intersections nationwide.
JOHNSON: Death, a life-changing injury, those are the results for inaction.
KOCH (on camera): Study authors want Congress to earmark more federal transportation dollars for road safety improvements, especially at intersections.
(voice-over): Without that, local officials insist they can't afford to change signs, lighting and road markings across a city.
KAREN MILLER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES: What it comes down to is dollars, and the fact that many local governments don't have the capacity to be able to raise the funds needed for these capital improvements.
KOCH: But improvements, experts say, in the long run could save millions in property damage, hospital costs and insurance rates every year.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
