Civil Engineering department provides study for Natchez Trace
March 28, 2006
The Associated Press
Clarion Ledger
Drivers have long appreciated the view along the Natchez Trace Parkway, but a new study shows they should keep their eyes on the road.
Driver inattentiveness was cited as the biggest contributing factor for nearly doubling accident rates on the Tupelo and Ridgeland sections of the national parkway and to increasing fatality rates overall.
The findings have prompted park officials to launch a three-month safety awareness campaign, “Arrive Alive.” Starting April 1, the effort will involve engineering, enforcement and education to reduce accident rates and boost seat-belt use.
Park officials, who perform the bulk of patrols along the Trace, will target accident-prone areas at peak accident times to educate and, if need be, ticket drivers.
“Anything we can do to reduce crash rates and increase safety is what we want to focus on,” said park Chief Ranger Charles Cuvelier. “It’s not as much about writing tickets as it is about getting the word out.”
The study, conducted by Mississippi State University’s Civil Engineering Department, looked at 2001-04 accident data from Jackson to the Alabama border.
It found that while the Trace’s crash rates are lower than the national average, they have increased since a 1997 study, especially around Tupelo, Ridgeland and Kosciusko.
Tupelo recorded the highest jump, nearly doubling its accident rate from 266 incidents between 1994 and 1997 to 514 during the latest study period.
Ridgeland came in second, bouncing from 145 accidents to 223 most recently. Kosciusko went from 144 to 181.
“Some of these findings are no surprise,” Cuvelier said, “because these are the areas of greatest congestion along the Natchez Trace.”
Most accidents occurred between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Two-thirds were caused by driver-related influences, with inattentiveness and failure to yield right of way being the biggest factors.
Speeding, which was not listed, should have been included, said Marietta Alderwoman Sarah Greene. While she feels safe on the parkway, Greene said she’s too often passed by rushed motorists going over the 50-mph limit.
Other accident causes included equipment and the environment – making up nearly a third – with animals cited as a major factor in that category.
The fatality rate during the study period was also “much higher than that in 1997,” but the report does not provide figures.
“Now that we know what the influences are and where and when the accidents are occurring, we can focus our energies on targeting those areas,” Cuvelier said.
Rangers will set up traffic stops along the Trace to distribute safety information and check seat-belt use. Seat belts have been mandatory along the federal parkway since 1994, but the report found that only 70 percent of passengers wore them. That’s 10 percent lower than the national average.
Those who did wear them in an accident suffered injuries a quarter of the time. Those who did not, suffered them 70 percent of the time.
Mississippi’s new primary seat-belt law, which allows officers to stop vehicles for passenger failure to wear the harnesses, coincides “perfectly” with the Trace’s own safety campaign, Cuvelier said.
In addition to education and enforcement, the MSU study also recommended increasing visibility along the Trace – an ill-lit road at night. Researchers requested reflectors on the center lines and making the parkway more visible during bad weather.
Vermont vacationer Fran Houghton said she feels safe on the Natchez Trace.
“It’s been such a peaceful, beautiful ride,” she said. “Everybody has been respecting the speed limit as far as I’m concerned.”
TRACE ACCIDENTS
Accident rates have nearly doubled along some Mississippi portions of the Natchez Trace Parkway:Section 1990-93 2001-04
Ridgeland (mile marker 101.2 to 146.3) 145 223
Kosciusko (mile marker 146.3 to 204.2) 144 181
Tupelo (mile marker 204.2 to 309) 266 514
Source: Natchez Trace Parkway