Tailgating, day dreaming, and speeding. These were the top three causes of vehicle crashes in the city of Midland, Texas, between July, August and September of this year, according to a news release from the city information desk.
And it pretty much puts a lie to the theory that red light cameras would contribute to driver safety rather than city coffers. I wish some watchdog would obtain copies of the correspondence among red light camera companies and city staff, mayor and council members. That might shed some light on the reason the idea gets floated so frequently in non-election years.
Here's the full text of the city's news release:
News for Release 10/22/13
Quarter 3 Crash Analysis Shows Driver Behavior as Major Factor in Accidents
The Midland Police Department's crash analysis results from the third quarter of 2013 show that driver behavior was the most prominent factor in accidents happening across Midland in the months of July through September. This analysis is regularly pulled from police data to ensure proper distribution of law enforcement resources in Midland.
The top three contribution factors to crashes during these months were:
Following too closely - 174 crashes
Driver inattention - 156 crashes
Failure to control speed - 104 crashes
The five intersections with the highest number of crashes during these months were:
Midkiff Drive and Interstate 20 - 21 crashes
Rankin Highway and Interstate 20 - 17 crashes
Andrews Highway and Loop 250 - 16 crashes
Midland Drive and Loop 250 - 14 crashes
Midkiff Drive and Loop 250 - 12 crashes
Between 15 and 18 percent of the crashes occurred each weekday, with 14 percent of crashes occurring between 7 and 9 a.m. and 26 percent of crashes occurring between 4 and 7 p.m.
Post Script: Click on the thumbnail to see the five hot spots with the accident numbers in red. Note the one thing all five have in common: A street intersects the interstate or the loop. If anyone is serious about reducing the accident rate those intersections need some analysis.
Post Post Script: The morning paper yesterday reported this news release with the byline: From staff reports. So now we know what that phrase really means: Here's a press release someone sent us.
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