9 minute read
Highway Safety
City/Town and Rural Critical Crashes
The Wyoming Economic Analysis Division’s 2020 County Profiles1 reports that with total land area of 97,810 square miles and an estimated population of 578,759 in 2020, Wyoming is second only to Alaska for lowest population density among states at 5.9 residents per square mile. While nearly all of Wyoming land area is considered rural or frontier, a recent study by the Economic Analysis Division2 reported that as of July 1, 2018, 68.8% of residents lived within the boundaries of an incorporated city or town. Only 31.2% of Wyoming’s population lived in rural areas.
Yet Wyoming’s rural areas experience a disproportionate number of critical crashes. From 2016 to 2020, an average of 71% (1461/2062) of all critical crashes occurred on rural roads (Figure 1). Fatal crashes show an even wider gap, with nearly 80% of all fatal crashes occurring in rural areas3 .
Rural Critical Crashes: 2016-2020 data revealed that nearly half (46%) of rural crashes involved a non-collision first harmful event (FHE) such as overturn/rollover, jackknife, and cargo or equipment loss or shift. Overturn/rollover was the FHE in 37% of rural crashes, as compared to 10% of city/town crashes. The vehicle type most likely to be involved in an overturn/rollover was a pick-up truck followed by a sports utility vehicle (Figure 2).
Animal collisions as a FHE were more likely to be reported in rural Wyoming (4% vs.1%) but comprised a small proportion of critical crashes overall. Horizontal curve critical crashes were also significantly more likely to occur on rural roads (53% vs. 29%).
City/Town Critical Crashes: 2016-2020 data revealed that 63% of city/town critical crashes involved a collision with a person, motor vehicle, or non-fixed object as a FHE as compared to about a third (31%) of rural crashes. Intersection crashes were more common in Wyoming communities, with the majority of critical crashes at four-way intersections (64%) and t-intersections (26%). Critical crashes involving motorcycles were also more likely to occur in cities/towns (23% vs.14%). Of the 139 city/town motorcycle-involved crashes during the five-year period, over half (57%) involved collision with a person, motor vehicle, or non-fixed object as a FHE and one third (32%) were non-collision crashes.
No Difference: While no difference was found in speed-involved critical crashes overall, rural crashes were more likely to involve speeding too fast for conditions (18% vs. 7%). In both categories, the majority (62%) of critical crashes occurred during daylight hours but more rural crashes took place in unlighted darkness (31% vs.14%). With the exception of drivers 75 years and older (who were more likely to be involved in a crash in a cities/towns), no difference was observed in driver age categories. No differences were observed for alcohol-involved crashes or properly-used safety equipment restraints between the two categories. n
1. Wyoming Administration & Information Economic Analysis Division: Wyoming and County Profiles 2020. Accessed 08/04/2021 at http://eadiv.state.wy.us/ demog_data/County_Profile.html 2. Ibid. (2019). Cheyenne Gained the Most Residents in 2018. Accessed 08/04/2021 at http://eadiv.state.wy.us/pop/Place-18est.pdf. 3. Most of Wyoming’s interstate and state highways are rural roads. Higher traffic volumes and speeds on these roads are likely to result in more critical crashes.
WYDOT Completed Safety Treatment Locations (Active) as of August 17, 2021
District Count
Annual Lifecycle Cost
Average Benefit to Cost
Annual Critical Crash Reduction
1 186 $ 67,756.00 226.92 7.26 2 201 $ 79,003.00 20.22 3.87 3 462 $229,166.00 63.97 6.49 4 348 $ 66,348.00 93.36 4.03 5 82 $ 25,478.00 292.66 1.13
State 1,279 $ 467,751.00 103.45 22.77
• 31% of Wyoming residents live in rural areas but crashes on rural roads account for 80% of all fatal crashes.
• 63% of urban critical crashes involve a collision with a person, motor vehicle, or non-fixed object as the first harmful event (FHE).
• 37% of rural critical crashes involve an overturn or rollover as a FHE.
• Motorcycle-involved critical crashes are more likely to occur on roads within a city/town than on rural roads (23% vs.14%).
Cities/Towns & Rural Defined: This text defines critical crashes within cities and towns as those occurring in the geographic boundaries of Wyoming’s incorporated communities. Rural is defined as critical crashes occurring outside of these geographic boundaries.
• About 75 pedestrian-involved crashes occur each year in
Wyoming.
• Men are almost twice as likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash as compared to women; either as a driver or a pedestrian.
• 60% of all pedestrian-involved crashes happen during daylight hours.
• 15% of pedestrian-involved crashes are “Hit and Run.”
• An estimated 21% of pedestrian crashes involve an impaired driver or pedestrian.
Pedestrian Defined: A person who is not an occupant of a motor vehicle in transport, witness or pedacyclist. This includes a person who is adjacent to the motor vehicle regardless of their actions. Also included are forms of pedestrian conveyance such as roller skates, wheelchairs, etc.
Pedestrians and cyclists are considered vulnerable road users due to their high risk of injury if struck by a vehicle. They have little or no protective shell to absorb and diffuse energy created during a crash. This is why both groups experience a higher proportion of fatal and suspected serious injuries when a crash occurs. In crash analysis, there are no “property-damage-only” crashes for pedestrians: all crashes result in some level of injury.
Wyoming crash data reports a total of 380 pedestrian-involved crashes during the five-year period 2016-2020, averaging about 75 pedestrian-involved crashes each year. Of this total, about 30% (114) were critical crashes, resulting in fatal or serious injuries.
When all pedestrian-involved crashes were examined, the majority (87%) occurred within the city limits of a Wyoming community. Over half of these crashes (55%) were intersection-related (Figure 1).
Men were almost twice as likely to be a driver or pedestrian in a pedestrian-involved crashes with age also identified as a risk factor. As illustrated in Figure 2, individuals under the age of 35 were more likely to be involved, either as a driver or a pedestrian.
Out of all pedestrian-involved crashes, 60% happened during daylight hours with just over a third (36%) occurring in darkness (lighted or unlighted).
Finally, alcohol or drug-involved crashes
August 1, 2021 vs. (August 1, 2020)
Fatalities: 52 (64) Serious Injuries: 258 (226) Alcohol-Involved Fatalities: 17 (23) Bicycle-Involved Fatalities: 0 (0) CMV-Involved Fatalities: 7 (15) Drug-Involved Fatalities: 11 (14) Motorcycle-Involved Fatalities: 7 (9) Pedestrian-Involved Fatalities: 5 (2) Speed-Related Fatalities: 22 (23)
*Data current as of 08/17/2021
June 1, 2021 vs. (June 1, 2020)
Fatalities: 34 (34) Serious Injuries: 157 (133) Alcohol-Involved Fatalities: 8 (8) Bicycle-Involved Fatalities: 0 (0) CMV-Involved Fatalities: 6 (11) Drug-Involved Fatalities: 7 (8) Motorcycle-Involved Fatalities: 0 (3) Pedestrian-Involved Fatalities: 4 (2) Speed-Related Fatalities: 10 (13)
(impairment) play a significant role in pedestrian-involved crashes. Nearly one-quarter (21%) of all pedestrian crashes involve either an impaired driver or pedestrian. For critical crashes, this proportion exceeds one-third (35%) of all crashes. In critical crashes, the pedestrian was more often impaired (63%) than the driver (20%), with both impaired in 18% of crashes. Young adults, aged 21 to 34, are more likely to be impaired in a pedestrian-involved crash. n
WYDOT Completed Safety Treatment Locations (Active) as of June 4, 2021
District Count Annual Lifecycle Cost Average Benefit to Cost
Annual Critical Crash Reduction
1 187 $ 67,827.00 $ 225.71 7.26 2 217 $ 79,759.00 $ 18.73 4.4 3 459 $ 228,754.00 $ 64.39 5.95 4 357 $ 66,381.00 $ 93.21 4.08 5 86 $ 25,486.00 $ 298.62 1.18
State 1,306 $ 468,207.00 $ 103.20 22.88
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
By Pete Abrams, WYDOT Law Enforcement Liaison
This past Labor Day weekend, Wyoming law enforcement participated in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired driving awareness campaign, which ran from Aug. 18-Sept. 6. In support of law enforcement’s dedication to saving lives, you’ll see officers, deputies and troopers working together this holiday weekend to take impaired drivers off the road.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2019 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. During 2019 in Wyoming, 26 percent of traffic fatalities involved an alcohol impaired driver. This is why Wyoming law enforcement works with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, but also a matter of life and death.
“We want Wyoming to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking,” said Colonel Kebin Haller of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. “We need commitment from our communities that they’ll keep the roads free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. This is a campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal, and it takes lives. Let’s also make this a partnership between law enforcement and drivers: Help us protect our state and put an end to this senseless behavior,” Colonel Haller added.
During the 2019 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. Aug. 30-5:59 a.m. Sept. 3), there were 451 crash fatalities nationwide. Of those fatalities, 45% involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (24%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is also a risky WHP troopers are always on the lookout for imfactor with drivers paired drivers. between the ages of 18 and 34 accounting for 46% of those drunk drivers with BACs of .08 or higher who were killed.
Wyoming law enforcement recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving: • Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation, a cab or ride share to get home safely. • If available, use your community’s sober ride program. • If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact law enforcement directly or dial 911. • Do you have a friend or family member who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and plan to get them home safely.
For more information on impaired driving, visit https://www. nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving. n
