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ANCHORAGE - A rash of traffic deaths this summer along a stretch of Seward Highway south of Anchorage has authorities and citizens talking about ways to make the roadway safer.
Fatal Alaska road crashes prompt town hall meeting 081009 STATE 3 The Associated Press ANCHORAGE - A rash of traffic deaths this summer along a stretch of Seward Highway south of Anchorage has authorities and citizens talking about ways to make the roadway safer.
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Monday, August 10, 2009

Story last updated at 8/10/2009 - 10:33 am

Fatal Alaska road crashes prompt town hall meeting
Crashes on Seward Highway have killed 98 people since 1977

The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE - A rash of traffic deaths this summer along a stretch of Seward Highway south of Anchorage has authorities and citizens talking about ways to make the roadway safer.

People gathered Friday night at the Girdwood Community Center where fire chief William Chadwick called a meeting to discuss the mounting body count on the scenic byway from Potter Marsh to just south of Girdwood.

Crashes on that 30-mile stretch have killed 98 people since 1977, including six deaths since May, two of them on Thursday.

More than 150 people attended the Girdwood meeting and there was no shortage of ideas.

Suggestions included photo radar stations, more passing lanes, no passing lanes, more state troopers, reflective lane paint, more and bigger signs and better signs for pull-outs.

"It is much better than it's ever been before, but it has not improved as quickly as our population is growing," said Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey. "The reality is we have to do a better job. We, the people, have to say, 'This is unacceptable.'"

Carey called for stricter enforcement and perhaps manslaughter charges for those who cause a fatal crash.

"Whoo!" a woman called out as the crowd applauded.

The most common type of fatal and major injury accident is head-on collisions, which comprise 28 percent, according to Department of Transportation crash data from 1994 to 2007. In half of the fatal crashes, the causing driver had lost control of the vehicle.

Traveling at an unsafe speed contributed to fatal and major injury accidents in 30 percent of cases.

"Crashes that occur while someone is passing are actually less than 10 percent of the fatal and major injury crashes on the Seward Highway corridor, but they do get a lot of attention," said Ron Martindale with the Department of Transportation. "The majority of high-severity and fatal crashes have a lot more to do with people drifting off of their lane."

Implementing a highway safety corridor - which means imposing double fines - in May 2006 reduced fatal and major injury crashes by 77 percent the following year, according to the state Highway Safety Office.