At a recent meeting of the Douglas County Safe Communities Coalition, the discussion turned to the high numbers of accidents on County Road 82.
That same week a head-on collision occurred between two vehicles on County Road 82, between Brandon and Garfield, causing one driver to be extricated and flown by helicopter to a St. Cloud hospital, and the other to be taken by ambulance to Alomere Health.
Another reminder was not needed, because in looking back on crash data over the past five years, one road in Douglas County stands out for being the most dangerous.
Excluding the interstate, County Road 82 has been the site of more serious injuries and fatal crashes in that span than any other, says a member of Douglas County Safe Communities Coalition.
Crystal Hoepner, who is also a health educator with Horizon Public Health, says that road - which stretches from the northwest corner of the county and runs through Evansville, Brandon, Garfield and Alexandria to Osakis on the far eastern edge - will be the main focus of the coalition's work in 2019.
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Seat belts tops list
The top four contributing factors to fatal or serious injury crashes have become the focus of safety campaigns throughout Douglas County and around the state.
The coalition has partnered with law enforcement, public health officials, the highway department, hospital staff and a variety of other agencies to not only bump up extra enforcement, but educational opportunities.
From 2013-17, 63 people either lost their lives or were seriously injured in Douglas County, according to crash statistics from the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety. Of those 63, 22 died in crashes.
The four biggest contributors to fatal or serious crashes are: not wearing a seat belt; alcohol use; speed; and distracted drivers.
Here's a breakdown of each factor:
• Unbelted - seven killed, 14 seriously injured (21 total)
• Alcohol - eight killed, 11 seriously injured (19 total)
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• Speed - four killed, 10 seriously injured (14 total)
• Distracted driving - three killed, six seriously injured (9 total)
The extra enforcement and education coincides with the state's Toward Zero Death campaign, Hoepner said.
The campaign, known as TZD, is a traffic safety program that was launched in 2003. Its goal is to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and deaths on Minnesota roads. The program uses data to target areas for improvement and employ proven countermeasures.
Hoepner said the crash data that is available is always a year behind, but it is still a good indicator of where the problems lie.
Speed blamed
As for County Road 82, one of the reasons Hoepner believes there have been so many dangerous crashes on that two-lane road is that more drivers are going faster.
The road used to have a 55 mile per hour limit before it was changed to 60, but Hoepner believes that most people do not drive 60 mph or slower. Instead, she said that most drivers push it to 65 mph, and many others push it further and go 70 or even 80 mph. One spot in particular where drivers are known to exceed the speed limit, she said, is between Alexandria and Evansville.
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The coalition is looking at what can be done along County Road 82, such as adding more speed limit signs or message boards. Hoepner said she doesn't feel speed limit signs will change people's behavior, but extra enforcement could help.
Throughout the year, the state and local authorities conduct extra enforcement campaigns intended to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Hoepner said the extra seat belt enforcement campaign ran through the month of September. The next campaign, which focuses on alcohol impairment, runs during November and December. Distracted driving is the focus for April, May is dedicated to seat belts and July's focus is speeding.