Article Options

Countless lives changed forever

By Adam Testa and Scott Fitzgerald, the southern

Saturday, April 12, 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Donna Bauer tragically learned how deadly the roads of Southern Illinois can be on April 23, 1999. As Bauer drove east on Illinois 149 toward West Frankfort with her three grandchildren in her van, a truck pulled out from the Orient Blacktop and slammed into the vehicle.

Her granddaughter, Amanda DeWitt, 4, and the car seat holding her were ejected from the vehicle. Amanda was pronounced dead shortly after 3:45 p.m. Her brother, Colin DeWitt, now 15, has been in a wheelchair ever since.

The Bauer and DeWitt families aren't alone in continuously feeling the loss of loved ones on the region's roads. More than 200 people have been killed in 184 accidents on Southern Illinois' 10 deadliest roads, with Illinois 37 topping the list and Illinois 149 ranking third.

The causes of the accidents vary, as do the circumstances surrounding them. Statistics show that more than half the fatal accidents on these 10 roads, nine state and one federal highways, were caused by another vehicle on the same roadway. Standing trees and pedestrians caused 11 and 9 percent, respectively.

Law enforcement officials from around Southern Illinois added to the explanations, citing not road problems but more issues involving the driver - excessive speed, sleepiness and inexperience, to name a few.

"It all boils down to the person behind the wheel and the choices we make while we're back there," said Trooper David Sneed of Illinois State Police District 13.

While it may be easiest to pinpoint some of the causes of accidents and blame on drivers, law enforcement and state officials still take care in trying to put an end to fatal accidents. The Illinois Department of Transportation has taken an active role in promoting traffic safety.

One example of this commitment came in the form of a phone conversation between Lt. Bob McCurdy of the Williamson County Sheriff's Department and Priscilla Tobias, state safety engineer of the Division of Highways for IDOT.

"We had a high number of fatalities and she asked about problem areas within the county," McCurdy said. "She offered help from her department."

The county and IDOT began working together on what McCurdy called "The Four E's" ? engineering, education, enforcement and emergency services. They developed a comprehensive plan that included about $2 million of infrastructure work that paid for improved right-of-way lanes, signage and guardrail improvements on some local roads.

But that's not all. The plan has also included extra money to fund roadside safety checks and public service announcements and billboard advertising promoting safe driving

"There's a large amount of public education in our plan and roadside safety checks are such a deterrent to impaired drivers," said McCurdy, who serves on a road safety assessment team that helps train and educate Illinois State Police troopers, IDOT engineers and other law enforcement officials.

Highway safety will only continue to develop with new innovations in technology and research, Sneed said. He recently attended a safety convention and saw some of these ideas such as vibrating car seats to prevent driver fatigue, as well as computerized readings and response installed in cars to detect on-coming traffic, provide suggestive responses and other data for the driver.

"There's a lot of good technology coming down the road," he said.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com / 351-5076

adam.testa@thesouthern.com / 351-5031