According to the Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee, there have been nine crashes involving pedestrians and vehicles in town in the last six months. Two of the nine crashes have resulted in the death of a pedestrian.
In the most recent accident, on Feb. 27, a pedestrian was critically injured.
In reviewing data from the nine most recent accidents, the committee found that six of the nine accidents occurred between 6 and 9 p.m., with four of those six occurring between 6 and 7 p.m. There was a streetlight near the sites of all the accidents occurring in the evening.
In two of the nine accidents, the pedestrians were in the crosswalk. Of the rest, six were outside the crosswalk.
Weather was not a factor in at least eight of the nine incidents, and drivers tended to be over age 50.
The data are useful for analyzing why there have so many accidents over the past few months. But there are so many other variables also involved:
• Drivers going too fast on the main routes into town - Canal Street, Western Avenue and Putney Road - and lack of good sidewalks and pedestrian crossings on these streets.
• Pedestrians wearing dark clothing in times of poor visibility.
• Poorly designed roads that put the needs of cars ahead of the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Distracted drivers fiddling with stereos or cell phones, eating, drinking, or otherwise not paying attention behind the wheel.
• Poorly marked crosswalks and narrow sidewalks outside the downtown area.
• And a general lack of awareness of the rules of the road by drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
If we want to see a reduction in accidents, everyone has to do his or her part. Drivers need slow down and pay attention. Cyclists need to remember that rules of the roads apply to them, too. And pedestrians need to look both ways before crossing, and use crosswalks.
We all have to share the road to avoid tragedy number 10.