Tennessee traffic fatalities up 7.8 percent this year

A person was killed when two tractor-trailers crashed into each other on Interstate 75 just before 5 a.m. today, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The fatal crash happened when traffic on the northbound side of I-75 was already backed up from a separate, three-vehicle crash about 40 minutes earlier, said Sgt. Alan Bailey.
A person was killed when two tractor-trailers crashed into each other on Interstate 75 just before 5 a.m. today, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The fatal crash happened when traffic on the northbound side of I-75 was already backed up from a separate, three-vehicle crash about 40 minutes earlier, said Sgt. Alan Bailey.

One thing I've learned in this job is people invent new ways to kill themselves every day on our highways.

NASHVILLE - A 7.8 percent jump in Tennessee traffic fatalities this year is worrying, top Safety and Homeland Security officials told Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday.

Haslam asked Department of Safety and Homeland Security officials about the rise as the governor kicked off public hearings on the 2017-2018 budget he is fashioning to present to the General Assembly next year.

"It's a challenge every day," Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott told the governor. "One thing I've learned in this job is people invent new ways to kill themselves every day on our highways."

Tennessee has had 859 vehicle-related deaths through Nov. 7, a 62-fatality increase over the same period's 797 deaths in 2015, according to the department's website.

Haslam wanted to know whether increased use of texting was one of the factors involved.

"I think distracted driving is the big issue we're trying to get our arms around. It's so difficult to enforce," Trott said. "It's so prevalent now in our society. We have a new generation of drivers who don't know anything but an iPhone and they use it constantly."

While Tennessee law bars texting while driving, Trott said more driver education is needed to emphasize the danger.

This year's rise comes following reductions in fatalities in recent years. Trott said motorcycle-related deaths are also up this year. Departmental figures show they rose from 115 last year to 137 this November. And the colonel noted pedestrian deaths have gone up, too.

Fatalities involving teens rose, as well - 66 in 2015 to 84 so far this year, according to statistics.

At the national level, overall vehicle fatalities have gone up percentage-wise more than Tennessee, Trott said. There's been speculation that fuel prices have prompted motorists to drive more, increasing risk. Meanwhile, here in Tennessee, deaths of pedestrians and bicyclists are up by six to 83.

Haslam later told reporters he believes texting and social media use are factors in highway deaths.

During the hearing, the governor asked whether shootings of law enforcement personnel have had an impact on recruiting trooper candidates. Trott said applications have fallen from about 2,000 to 1,200-1,400, but he attributed most of the fall-off to a better economy and applicants' ability to find higher-paying jobs in the private sector.

Earlier, Trott sought to emphasize to the governor the overall decline during the Haslam administration's first five years, noting that 148 fewer people died on highways since the Republican took office five years ago versus the previous five years. Moreover, Trott said, there are 220 fewer people who have been killed than the 50-year average. Those are "significant gains" in safety, he said.

Trott later told reporters he believes warm weather and dry conditions have encouraged more motorcyclists to head out on the highway both recreationally and for work.

"Then, you add on higher traffic counts because of a good economy, more people at work, more people vacationing, more people with disposable income, then you're going to have a lot more cars on the road, along with more motorcycles, and you're going to see a rise in those fatality numbers."

Safety Commissioner David Purkey presented to Haslam spending requests, including $1.5 million to hire up to 25 more state troopers, part of a four-year plan to boost the number of officers on the road.

Total requested increases are $24 million for 2017-2018, with $13.7 million going to replace two aging 1970s-era helicopters used in areas ranging from pot eradication to natural disasters. Another $1.64 million is proposed to fund salary increases for commissioned officers.

The department also offered up $750,000 in cuts under Haslam's request that all departments offer up plans to cut up to 2 percent, if that becomes needed.

Purkey, who became commissioner last summer, touted to Haslam decreases in wait times for Tennesseans at the department's Driver Services Division. Wait times have on average gone from 30 minutes to about 17 minutes or so, he told the governor.

A recently released state Comptroller's performance audit, however, has questioned how the department measures wait times, saying they begin measuring at the counter, when auditors argue it should begin when people get in line to get a number to get to the counter.

Asked later by reporters about the criticism, Purkey said the wait time should start when customers get the ticket. Customers, especially in urban areas, have a tendency to line up outside centers before they actually open, the commissioner said. He also emphasized the division is piloting new computer kiosks in five centers where customers can quickly get tickets to go to the counters. The clock starts ticking when they receive the ticket.

Asked about spending increase requests, Haslam said that will be decided when he has a fuller picture of departmental requests and state revenues. Budget hearings continue today.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow on Twitter @AndySher1.

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