By Philip Haldiman
A fatal accident happened at Thunderbird Road and 75th Avenue March 18 in Peoria.
Peoria saw more crashes on its streets in 2016 compared with the prior year, mirroring a state trend, according to a report recently released by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The annual Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report found overall deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the state rose 7.5 percent to 962.
The highest annual number of motor vehicle crash fatalities in Arizona – 1,301 – occurred in 2006. While collisions and fatalities have risen in recent years, 2016 totals are below where they were a decade ago, despite having nearly one million more licensed drivers and registered vehicles traveling today on Arizona’s roadways than in 2007.
In Peoria, the total number of crashes rose 22 percent and alcohol-related crashes increased 14 percent. In 2015, the city saw 12 killed and 952 injured from motor vehicle-related accidents, compared with 13 killed and 1,302 injured in 2016, according to ADOT’s most recent report.
Paul Hermans, a spokesman for the Peoria police said in an email that the department is researching possible reasons why the numbers have gone up.
“Some of the measures that have been taken to lower the amount of vehicle accidents include traffic enforcement in accident- prone areas. This includes enforcement by both patrol officers and the traffic services team, and speed trailers are deployed to specific locations to remind motorists to slow down,” Mr. Hermans stated. “The Peoria Police Department also uses grants from the AZ Governors Office of Highway Safety to fund additional officers for traffic enforcement.”
Statewide, seat belts, speeding and reckless driving, and impairment are among the leading factors in traffic fatalities, according to ADOT.
Of the 962 people killed last year in Arizona, 250 did not use a seat belt. Speeding too fast for conditions was the most common driver violation and rear-end was the most common kind of collision, the report said.
“Making travel safer begins before drivers turn the ignition,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said in a release. “Too many people make the deadly decision to drive impaired, whether by alcohol, prescription pills or other drugs, and put all of us at risk. None of us should accept this selfish behavior and it’s everyone’s business to stop impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel.”
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, noted the decline in the number of fatalities involving people who were not using seat belts, which fell from 258 in 2015 to 250 last year.
“While we’re encouraged to see a decrease, one death is still too many,” said Ms. Christ. “Make sure everyone is buckled up every time, regardless of how far, fast or familiar your drive may be.”
Just more than 400 people were killed in impaired driving-related collisions; a little more than 4,000 were injured. However, alcohol-related fatalities decreased statewide – falling from 329 people killed in 2015 to 307 in 2016 – while fatalities related to illegal drugs or prescription medication increased – rising from 77 in 2015 to 99 people killed in 2016.
“The gains made in reducing alcohol-related crashes and fatalities are steps in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done,” said Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in a statement. “Driving impaired is a choice, and people need to be aware that it’s a choice they don’t have to make – there are many other ways to get home safely.”
Pedestrian-involved crashes and fatalities spiked in 2016. The number of pedestrians killed rose to 197 in 2016 from 163 the year before, and crashes increased by 16 percent, from 1,408 in 2015 to 1,637 last year.
The number of motorcycle operators and passengers killed in traffic crashes went up in 2016 to 144 from 134 the year before.
Editor’s note: News Editor Cecilia Chan contributed to this report.
Courtesy Peoria Police
Local statistics
In 2015, Peoria saw 12 killed and 952 injured from motor vehicle-related accidents, compared with 13 killed and 1,302 injured in 2016, according to ADOT’s most recent report. Take a look at more crash statistics from the last two years.
2016
Number of crashes
Total: 2,691 up 22 percent
Fatal: 13
Injury: 898
Property damage only: 1,780
Alcohol related
Crashes: 107 up 14 percent
Killed: 5
Injured: 86
2015
Number of crashes
Total: 2,214
Fatal: 11
Injury: 670
Property damage only: 1,533
Alcohol related
Crashes: 94
Killed: 7
Injured: 44
Source: ADOT
State highlights
The 2016 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report is a compilation of traffic crash reports provided to ADOT by law enforcement agencies around the state. Here are some highlights.
• 574 fatal crashes occurred on other roadways, such as county roads or city streets, and 291 fatal crashes occurred on the state highway system.
• 525 fatalities occurred in urban areas and 437 deaths occurred in rural areas.
• Of all alcohol-related crashes, 78.8 percent occurred in urban areas and 21.2 percent in rural areas.
• Among fatal crashes related to alcohol, 67 percent occurred in urban areas and 33 percent occurred in rural areas.
• One person was killed in a motor vehicle crash every 9.11 hours.
• Seven in 10 crashes occurred during daylight hours.
• More crashes occurred in March than any other month with 11,391.
• Friday was the peak day of the week for all crashes during 2016 with 22,133, while the most fatal crashes – 150 – occurred on Saturdays.
The ADOT 2016 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report is available at
azdot.gov/CrashFacts.
