When Kansas State University Professor Sunanda Dissanayake and other researchers studied traffic fatalities in Kansas, they expected to find that more people had died on the roads.
After all, the state had increased speed limits on some highways to 75 miles per hour in 2011. Higher speeds lead to more severe crashes. But they did not expect such a deadly result.
The percentage increase, by how much it got worse, was a big eye-opener, even for us, Dissanayake said in an interview.
The researchers compared three years before the speed limit increase and three years after. They tried to control for a variety of factors. They found the higher speed limit led to more crashes and more deaths. Total crashes increased by 27 percent, while fatal and injury crashes rose 35 percent.
The higher speed limit and more time behind the wheel are two factors potentially adding to a disturbing trend in Kansas.
Fatalities on the states roads have risen sharply in recent years, mirroring a national trend. That came during a time when Kansas trimmed back and delayed highway updates because of budget problems. Many of those projects included safety improvements.
Its been a sharp reversal, said Kansas Department of Transportation Highway safety engineer Steven Buckley. Many of the states roads had been improved with modern, safer designs in recent decades. Newer vehicles include additional safety features and face more stringent crash testing.
The deaths on Kansas roads totaled 355 in 2015.
Thats still 355 fatalities too many, but that was one of our record lows, Buckley said.
In 2016, deaths climbed to 429. Fatalities grew to 461 in 2017. Preliminary KDOT numbers show 2018 deaths at 405. Thats down, but still higher than recent years.
Buckley said the delayed projects, like all highway improvements, include safety in the design.
Republican state Rep. Tom Cox blames factors beyond the speed limit.
Cox will serve on the House Transportation Committee this session. He points to a variety of factors potentially driving up deaths on the roads. One he sees often is distracted drivers using their phones.
Theyre looking straight at their phone on (Interstate 70) going 82 miles per hour, Cox said.
The rate of crashes on Kansas roads has not increased like the pure number of deaths.
