Saunders County targets bad driving habits

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BY ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star

Sometimes it’s the little things that cause accidents: passing in a no passing zone or intersection, tailgating, talking on a cell phone, changing CDs, eating a burger.

Those were some of the habits to which Nebraska State Patrol troopers and Saunders County deputy sheriffs were trying to call attention during a special enforcement action near Valparaiso Thursday.

A handful of officers stopped drivers during a two-hour period Thursday morning on Nebraska 79 and nearby county roads.

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(LJS File)

(LJS File)

Officers issued a number of citations, including one to a 17-year-old boy for going 95 mph on a 55 mph paved county road.

The driver, along with a 17-year-old male passenger, also was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia during the enforcement effort, the patrol said in a news release.

“This is the reason we are out here,” said Headquarters Troop-Lincoln Capt. Steve Ayres. “We want to send a message to motorists to slow down, pay attention and give themselves the best opportunity to get to where they are going safely.”

Officers also handed out six citations for speeding  and 10 speeding warnings, plus one for fictitious plates, two for having headlights out and one child-restraint violation.

“It’s difficult to gauge what the results will be,” said Saunders County Sheriff Kevin Stukenholtz. “Historically, they’ve been able to show patrol visibility is a deterrent to bad driving habits.”

Special enforcements are done periodically where there has been a large number of crashes.

“We’ve had a couple of accidents in that area, one of them being a fatality,” the sheriff said. “We thought having increased law enforcement visibility and doing it in coordination with the state patrol would raise some safety awareness.”

In 2005, Saunders County had 274 accidents, with five fatalities and 146 injuries, according to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. The following year, there were 276 accidents, with 10 deaths and 165 injuries.

Last year, two people died in Saunders County accidents, and one traffic fatality has been recorded this year.

Andrea Lorenzana, 23, died Feb. 15 in an accident three miles east of Valparaiso when the vehicle in which she was riding drifted left of center on a county road and clipped an oncoming minivan.

“It seems to be human nature to move to the center of the road,” said Don Cunningham, director of traffic safety for for the Nebraska Safety Council.

Cunningham said many drivers do not spend a lot of time on gravel roads, which may lead to more accidents.

Gravel roads are narrower than paved roads and have a less predictable surface, especially in bad weather.

“You’ve got to be aware of  the proper speed for the conditions you are driving in and that includes that road surface,” Cunningham said. 

Fred Zwonechek, administrator of the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, said he believes selective enforcements work.

“It gets everybody’s attention for a while,” he said.

Rollover accidents are becoming more common, Zwonechek said, because people are driving more high-profile vehicles such as SUVs, which have higher centers of gravity.

“Sudden maneuvers and a collision with another vehicle can cause them to roll over more easily,” he said.

Last year, the state Office of Highway Safety recorded 81 rollover fatal accidents, resulting in 88 deaths, compared to 70 accidents and 80 deaths in 2006.

Zwonechek said the single most important thing a driver can do to survive a rollover accident is wear a seatbelt.

“A portion of these collisions are not survivable, but the odds are definitely in your favor if you buckle up,” he said. “Side air bags can also add to your safety.”

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.