The danger of Route 1 strikes again
The recent death of 19-year-old Nadiia Misa sadly shows Route 1 between Lewes and Dewey Beach remains a fatally dangerous stretch of highway for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
The highway is particularly dangerous to recent arrivals to our country who are unfamiliar with the territory, like Nadiia from Ukraine. When she was fatally struck in the tricky light of dusk at the busy intersection near the Food Lion shopping center, Nadiia may have had little sense of the danger she faced. She may not have realized how important it is in those circumstances to take every possible precaution to cross safely and be highly visible.
Now it is too late for Nadiia. But it is not too late, nor will it ever be too late, for us as a community to constantly stress to our family, friends and employees how important it is to be extraordinarily cautious and patient when it comes to crossing Route 1. It’s crossing the highway that has proven most deadly. We applaud the efforts of the Sussex Cyclists, the Office of Highway Safety and Delaware State Police officers who distribute safety equipment and literature - in five languages - to help prevent these tragic crashes.
As a resort community, we should constantly strive to make what has become our main street safer for our residents and friends. Laws to improve safety on that stretch of road in particular must be rigorously enforced. We must halt illegally flashing signs that distract drivers from their attention-deserving task.
Just as we double fines for violations in construction areas, we should consider doubling fines for violations in high-accident areas. Those traveling illegally in the bus and bicycle lanes - including cyclists riding against traffic - should be ticketed vigorously. Let’s deploy cameras to enforce speed limits and increase police presence in this treacherous stretch.
Finally, and most importantly, we have to keep the pressure on to complete the greatest number of signal-controlled crossings as quickly as possible. We work very hard to attract people to our resort to work and play. Let’s work twice as hard to make their stays here safe.
