AUGUSTA, Maine — A 55-year-old grandmother who died two days before Christmas in Baring after crashing into another vehicle head-on with her grandson in her pickup truck was the last recorded Maine highway fatality of 2012, officials say.
The state recorded 164 traffic fatalities last year, a significant increase from 2011’s record low 136 figure but below the 10-year average, according to Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
Traffic fatalities over the last decade averaged 176 annually, which is 100 less than 1970 — the worst year on record — when 276 people died on Maine roads.
Lynn Roderick, 55, of Princeton was driving north on U.S. Route 1 at about 2:20 p.m. on Dec. 23 with her 8-year-old grandson when she apparently attempted to pass another vehicle.
Her blue Dodge Ram pickup truck struck a vehicle driven by Steven Scott, 47, of Calais head-on, sending both vehicles careening off the road, Maine State Police Trooper Chad Lindsey said at the time of the collision.
Roderick, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected through the passenger’s window of her truck and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, the trooper said.
Her grandson was treated at Calais Regional Hospital for cuts and abrasions.
The state’s traffic fatalities in 2011 matched a benchmark set in 1959 and were “fantastically low,” Stewart said. The increase of 28 fatalities between 2011 and 2012 is significant, but “we can’t put our fingers on any one thing” that led to the rise, she said.
“I can tell you [almost] all of these crashes were preventable,” Stewart said. “Forty to 45 percent were not wearing a seat belt in these fatal crashes and illegal or unsafe speeds played a role as well. They’re definitely preventable.”
A total of 73 of the 164 highway deaths in 2012, or about 44 percent, involved speeders or those going too fast for road conditions, she said.
Increasing the speed limit to 75 mph on Interstate 95 north of Old Town had no effect on the road crash figures, Stewart said.
The 2012 highway deaths included 23 motorcycle fatalities, 14 teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19, nine pedestrians, one involving a bicycle and two involving moose, she said.
The biggest jump was in the number of fatalities involving those ages 20 to 24, which increased from 18 deaths in 2011 to 27 in 2012, Stewart said.
“It was mostly speed,” she said of those deaths. “And again, about half were not wearing seat belts.”
The number of alcohol-related fatalities for 2012 was not yet available, but for 2011, alcohol played a role in 39 of the 136 deaths, or approximately 28 percent, according to data compiled by Michelle Ward, a fatal accident system analyst with the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
Another big difference between 2012 and 2011 was the number of deaths to occur over the holiday season, Stewart said.
“Over the Christmas holiday, we had three people who died in motor vehicle crashes, but [in 2011] it was six,” she said. “Nobody was killed over the New Year’s holiday, and we had four [in 2011].”
Why 2012 was different from 2011 “can’t really be explained,” Stewart said.
BDN reporter Judy Harrison contributed to this story.
SEAT BELTS PEOPLE…….BUCKLE UP!!!!!
As I was reading this article, I was wondering what the above table would look like if it showed seat belt use/non use with and without the alcohol info.
I am a survivor of a roll over accident, who no doubt would be a statistic, but for my seatbelt. The irony is that I took it off and started to drive away without re fastening it. Then something made me stop and put it back on. Just a couple of miles up the road, I rolled my SUV, several times according to a witness. I have no memory of rolling, I just remember a very violent accident. I sustained relatively minor injuries, all things considered.
Seat belts only help if you have an accident. They don’t prevent accidents.
It is not the Republicans or Democrats that need to stop spending, it is the Federal Government’s ability to spend our money all over the globe, exempt large corporations from contributing to our treasury, we, WE THE PEOPLE need to have a different way of stopping, putting the brakes on the Federal Government of the United States from squandering our money. We lost friends, children, to the Vietnam War, now, we are giving Vietnam our sneaker factories, pls, bring out troops home, stop wasting our money in Haiti, the United States people, need help supporting our schools, we need property tax relief, stop these wars, they are criminal.
What does this have to do with cars accidents ???
Here we go, more money will be sought for seat belt enforcement. Up the age to get a license to 21. In high speeds the likelihood of a seat belt helping from what I hear is negligible.
I guess half die who were wearing a seat belt then. Would the theory be 50-50 chance then.
Have you ever seen the remains of a fatality that was ejected? Usually the vehicle rolls over them or over on them, either a very ugly scenario as a rule. Most ejections would be prevented with a seat belt. At very high speeds, the seat belt will less effect, but that would generally be unreasonably high,dangerous and illegal speeds. If people would wear their seat belts and obey the speed limits then seat belts and/or airbags will do a better job of keeping us safe. I speak from experience.
As a much younger person, I was forced off the road. I hit three light poles and a brick wall. I was not wearing my seat belt and sustained multiple facial injuries. I remember as I was heading for the windshield for the fourth time wishing it would give altogether. It did not. Six years ago, when I rolled my SUV, colliding with a parked car, I was wearing my seat belt. I don’t remember rolling or even really hitting the other car. I thought the back of my car had fishtailed into the other one, but as it turned out, my car was rolling over the other one, completely crushing it in the process. Paint from my car was on the roof of the other with undercarriage parts left in the seats of the car I hit. Yet all the while, I remained safely held to my seat by the seat belt.
Since every policyholder is affected by accident payouts, if I am gravely injured because I didn’t wear a seat belt, do you want to be paying my increased medical costs?
Sounds like you need more driver training.
That first accident was over 30 years ago and pedal error played a part since I was driving a rental Chevy Chevette. In the second accident, the maneuver that caused my car to roll was a choice. I was picking up speed on steep and icy hill. Braking was pulling my car to the left into oncoming traffic heading to the local high school. I decided to go into an empty lot with trees so at least I wouldn’t kill any of the kids on their way to school. I was obviously going too fast for the conditions (blizzard) but I had taken my foot off the gas and brake at the top of the hill.
There is a brake pedal right next to the accelerator. Just if you missed it.
Unfortunately in the roll over, it was the brake pedal that was getting me into trouble. Now I won’t drive at the height of a blizzard.
Actually New Hampshire (with no adult seat belt law) is the second safest State in which to drive.
no, but have you seen the remains of someone wearing a seatbelt. As the article states most were at a high rate of speed.
Tell that to the race car drivers.
“The state recorded 164 traffic fatalities last year, a significant increase from 2011’s record low 136 figure but below the 10-year average, according to Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.”
I’m skeptical of the claim that the difference between 2012’s number of fatalities and 2011’s fatalities was “significant.”
For example, to determine significance, we need to know how many miles were driven in 2011 and 2012. If motorists drove more in 2012, then there would be little to no significance.
It would also be helpful to know how many fatal crashes there were in 2011 versus 2012, as opposed to total fatalities.
We had twice the Canadians on the road as compared to 2011.
I agree, significant is not the right word.
Everyone should take their drivers exam once again…Never have seen so many idiots on the road in this state. Actually this state does need to BAN assault vehicles, and the dangerous idiots that drive them!
This article proves that autos are much more dangerous than guns, but where is the extreme left on banning automobiles? With all the laws and regulations on autos, how can there be any deaths. Proof that laws don’t always save lives.
How many people murdered their victims with vehicles on purpose?
How many people murdered their victims with guns on purpose?
How many “accidental” deaths with firearms vs. autos?
On a percentage basis, that is, time spent using a gun versus time spent using a car, many times greater.
But don’t bother thinking too hard, your head might explode. Just take succor in your infantile NRA talking points.
Why must you insult people who you disagree with?
Why must you make posts that are an unthinking repetition of stuff that you heard? I’m insulted that you propagate the NRA’s idiocy. “this article proves that automobiles are much more dangerous than guns”??? Frankly, I figured an insult, at the very least, would be required to penetrate the fog.
So there genius, you seriously find it that hard to get through your thick skull that automobiles ARE more dangerous than guns?
and you seriously don’t get that your own percentage argument above completely breaks your whole point and makes your opinion that of a uneducated bafoon?
next I guess you’re going to tell us that planes are actually more dangerous than cars…..
the only idiocy being propagated is your own fog of mythology and liberal fantasy
the extreme left is trying to put us in smaller, less safe vehicles….go figure
apparantly they are all about murdering little children in an unarmed populace and killing granny on the highway
Does anyone else feel a small compact car with a gal texting and putting on her makeup is attached to the bumper of my truck.Is this the new driver ed training.Find a bumper and attach your vehicle to it.
how about banning vehicles that hold more than 4 seats.Any vehicle that holds more passengers should be considered dangerous and banned.
Only have cars trucks ect that go no more then 70 mph
Gawd this woman is a terrible reporter.
What is Maine doing that is different from what New Hampshire and Massachusetts are doing?
Why after all these years of “Alcohol/driving” education is our percentage of drunk drivers.still so high?
Why are alcohol related crashes measured and reported and drug related crashes are not. Shouldn’t the category be “impaired driving?”
Why has NO STATE mandated a uniform bumper height?
Why do we have guardrails on straight roads? A guardrail simply throws the car back into traffic and makes the accident worse. Barrels filled with sand, or plastic expanding barriers (that wrap around the vehicle and hold it) are far safer than what we are using now. Actually NO barrier at all is safer than our current guardrails. .
Why have we not begun to build cars with the “triangle frame’ proven to be safe in the 1970s crash tests.
Why do we allow auto makers to build cars which exceed the maximum US speed limit by double?
On my way to Calais, I see folks who I know are going to the methadone clinic up there. They are speeding on the way to, and weaving on the way from. Funny there is no “methadone impaired category.
Like i have been saying all along the police need to start doing there job they are way to lax . Plus add court cost to all people that are taken to court that will help pay for the court an the police time in court. Insurance compaines should be made to pay the cost of police an fire depts plus material used at an accident seen . it mite add 12 bucks a your to insurance policies an they must carry it .
i’m happy that 164 deaths and hundreds of injuries have given you material for you new unfunny stand-up routine. You should be proud.
Not a “stand-up routine” to me. He is right. Look at the number of murders in Maine, then compare that to auto and drug deaths.
Where’s the Newtown/Columbine/gabbyGiffords outrage?
Intent dummy…….intent.
There is nothing funny about the current assault on our Constitution, I am merely putting highway fatalities into perspective with current violent gun crime. Something the screeching reactionaries seem unable to do.
“There is nothing funny about the current assault on our Constitution”
“screeching reactionaries”
can’t explain why crashes were down in 2011? anyone ever think to look at the weather? lack of snow perhaps?
Lack of Snow in 2012 also. in fact winter was over last year around March 15.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/10/10/news/augusta/as-speeders-become-more-brazen-police-seek-to-analyze-habits/
Col. Robert Williams here’s some stats for you;
“”The biggest jump was in the number of fatalities involving those ages 20 to 24, which increased from 18 deaths in 2011 to 27 in 2012, Stewart said.
‘“It was mostly speed,” she said of those deaths. “And again, about half were not wearing seat belts.””