Traffic fatalities across Tennessee have been on the rise in recent years, and Chattanooga is no exception. Authorities have been repeatedly sounding the alarm, warning drivers to be careful and focus on the roads, but deaths only have increased.
At the end of last year, state and local first responders held an emergency news conference urging drivers to use extra caution ahead of the holidays. There'd been a sharp increase in traffic fatalities over 2017.
And this year, the city is already nearing the total for all of last year. After the news conference, there were no more roadway deaths in 2018, but between Jan. 2 and Jan. 30, 10 people died.
Traffic fatalities
2014: 252015: 352016: 282017: 182018: 272019 YTD: 20
The victims
Michael Davidson, 72Walter A. Berry, 65Lorenzo Jarret Jr., 41Mechele Lane, 38McGary Edwards, 92Toddler, 2James Wigley, 45Bethany Schklar, 37John Atkins, 82Cecil Patterson, 42Elnora Winston, 71Nicholas Galinger, 38Lexus Chambers, 21Carolyn Manzer, 60John Ferola, 26Lakhbir Singhshergill, 45Charlene Murray, 64Paul Simulus, 31Nathan Jones, 31Brent Johnson, 24
On Jan. 2, Michael Davidson, 72, collided with another vehicle in the intersection of North Holtzclaw Avenue and East 3rd Street. He died four days later.
On Jan. 3, Walter A. Berry was killed while trying to pass a semi-truck to merge in front of it on the East 23rd Street bridge. He lost control of his vehicle and hit the semi, causing his vehicle to spin out and hit a concrete barrier. He was 65.
That same night, not even an hour later, two people - Lorenzo Jarret Jr., 41, and Mechele Lane, 38 - were killed after a Dodge Ram truck collided with their vehicle in the intersection of East Main Street and South Holtzclaw Avenue. The vehicle in which they were passengers rolled over and hit a utility pole. One other person was critically injured.
The next day, McGary Edwards, 92, died. He was a passenger in a vehicle that hit a Kia Soul head-on at the intersection of Monroe Street and Wilcox Boulevard.
Three days went by before another two people - including a 2-year-old - were killed over a two-day stretch between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9.
Since then, 10 more people have been killed, bringing the total to 20. In all of last year, there were 28.
In Hamilton County, there have been 23 deaths this year, 11 more than 2018.
And statewide, there have been 376 deaths as of May 24. That's 28 more than in the same time last year.
More people on the roads
With gas prices lower than last year, more people are expected to be on the roads this year, according to AAA.
In fact, a recent AAA survey found that 33 percent of Americans would go on at least one additional summer road trip if gas prices remain low. That's thanks to "solid job and income growth," Vice President AAA Travel Paula Twidale said.
And over the Memorial Day weekend, nearly 37.6 million people were expected to hit the roads. But with more people on the roads, the risk for accidents increases.
The National Safety Council estimated 380 people would be killed and an additional 43,300 seriously injured on the roads over the holiday weekend.
That number is actually the lowest it's been in four years, according to the council - a nod to an overall leveling of roadway deaths after an especially deadly three-year period since the Great Recession.
"Although we are experiencing a plateau in fatality trends, we are still losing an unacceptable number of people on our roadways, and this holiday may be no different," Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics at the safety council, said in a public statement ahead of Memorial Day. "If we pay attention, slow down and be courteous, we can increase our chances of making it to picnics, beaches and barbecues rather than emergency rooms."
'Slow down and drive'
Police say speed is one of the most common factors in accidents because it's a behavior that some drivers engage in without even realizing, Though drugs, alcohol and distracted driving are just as common.
"Just slow down and drive," Chattanooga Police Department traffic unit Sgt. Justin Kilgore said. "People get so distracted with not just their phone, but other people in the car or things that are going on around them that don't really matter."
Police are often able to predict where crashes happen based on historical data, Kilgore said. The department's crime analysis unit looks at different time frames and even weather conditions to create a map of the city's hotspots, and police use that information to determine where to focus traffic enforcement.
The police department and Chattanooga Department of Transportation have begun implementing certain measures to address the speeding problem.
For example, the transportation department plans to improve the visibility and clarity of messaging on traffic control signs and improve street lighting.
The police department already has some patrol vehicles outfitted with moving radar units, and it plans to increase driver awareness of such enforcement efforts.
But Kilgore said everyone has a responsibility in driving down the number of roadway injuries and deaths.
"Just stepping up and having conversations, whether it be with your kids or whether it be with your brother or sister, mom and dad, about their driving habits. As hard as that conversation may be at times, be honest with them and let them know you want them to be around for a long time," he said.
Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.