Both Bryant and Benton Police Departments have seen a reduction in the amount of traffic crashes their officers had to investigate from 2009 to 2010.  The Bryant Police Department has seen a reduction in the amount of traffic crashes investigated in 2010.  In 2009 there were 1047 crashes and during 2010 there were 998, which is a 5% decrease. 

    The Benton Police Department has seen a reduction in the amount of traffic crashes investigated in 2010.  In 2009 there were 1394 crashes in the city and during 2010 there were 1285, which is an almost 8% decrease.

    This reduction in traffic crashes can be partially attributed to enforcement actions taken by officers and through education efforts.  The past two years we have been compiling data on crashes, including the total number and locations with the highest number of incidents.  Using this data enabled our officers to focus their enforcement efforts in specific areas where we were having the highest rate of crashes in an attempt to help protect our citizens. 

    During 2011 our officers will continue to monitor these areas of concern and also continue to take a tough stance on distracted and aggressive driving.  These are major areas of concern because of the amount of distracted and aggressive driving crashes increasing nationally and due to local concerns that have been voiced about these issues. 

    Distracted driving is basically defined as doing any action behind the wheel of your car that focuses your attention away from the primary task of driving and thus increasing the risk of a crash.  This can include texting while driving or something as “simple” as changing your radio station and taking your hands off the wheel. 

    In 2009, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving as a factor.  The age group with the highest percentage of distracted driving related crashes was the drivers 16-20 years of age.  This age group showed 16 percent of the fatality crashes involving some form of distracted driving, usually involving a cell phone. 

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving, also referred to as “road rage”, as when an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.  NHTSA estimates that one-third of traffic crashes and two-thirds of resulting deaths can be attributed to overly aggressive driving.

    Some examples of aggressive driving would include (but not limited to) excessive speeding, failure to yield, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, and failure to stop for a school bus.  Road rage occurs when one of the examples above take place leading to operators of both vehicles taking unnecessary risks in an attempt to “get them back”.  

    Road rage is an extremely dangerous and volatile situation, both for those directly involved and third party individuals, and it’s important to realize that it’s not some uncontrollable situation.  We all have the ability to not respond to real or perceived “insults” on the roadway by either ignoring it or by calling 911 and letting officers handle it. 

    Officers at both the Bryant and Benton Police Departments realize that distracted and aggressive driving are all hazards to all of us which is why we have always taken a tough stance on them.  Through educational efforts and enforcement we will continue to discourage and detect these behaviors, and to apprehend those who choose to violate the law. 

    Both departments saw an increase during January of this year.  Benton Police Department responded to 119 crashes during January of this year compared to 92 during January of 2010, and Bryant Police Department responded to 171.  Part of the crashes can be attributed to the ice and snow we experienced last month.  We want to encourage the public to exhibit common courtesy while driving and to follow the rules of the road that are sometime overlooked (using turn signals, obeying traffic lights, extra travel distance during bad weather, etc). 

    It is our goal that through these combined efforts we will further enhance the safety of our citizen’s, and see more decreases in the amount of traffic crashes in our city during the coming months.  www.bentonpolice.org  

Source: National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), www.nhtsa.gov