State working to lower traffic deaths

Following a year that saw a record number of traffic deaths occurring in Delaware, state transportation officials and law enforcement officers have been tasked with making the roadways safer in 2023 and beyond.

So far, not so good. Through Jan. 25, the state has already had 11 traffic-related fatalities, including seven in Sussex County. In 2022, 165 people died on Delaware’s roadways. 

“That’s unacceptable for us, and we have to do a better job,” said Shante Hastings, deputy director and chief engineer at the Delaware Department of Transportation, during the Five Points Working Group meeting Jan. 30. “We all need to slow down, buckle up, pay attention, be patient. All of these things are huge factors in a lot of these fatal crashes.”

There are many pieces to the puzzle, she said, explaining how a combination of roadway improvements, traffic enforcement and education will be key to improving safety. 

Hastings said DelDOT looks at fatal and serious-injury crashes to see if there’s a pattern. If there’s a cluster of crashes at a particular place, she said, roadway changes can be made. Short-term fixes include all-way stops. She touted the addition of an all-way stop at the intersection of Cave Neck Road, Hudson Road and Sweetbriar Road. Even though a roundabout was in the design phase, the intersection continued to see crashes, so DelDOT moved forward with the all-way stop until that construction can begin in 2024.

“It has made a significant improvement,” said Hastings, noting there are more all-way stops in Sussex County than ever before. Other fixes include rumble strips in the centerline and along the edges of roadways, high-friction surface treatment on curbs, and median barriers. 

“A lot of these things are above and beyond what the requirements are, but we know we need to do more to drive change,” she said. 

There has also been targeted enforcement so far this year. Operation Braking Point ran Jan. 9-23, targeting speeders on Route 1, I-95 and I-495. Planned campaigns will focus on seatbelt use and distracted driving. 

Hastings highlighted a distracted driving campaign in the Long Neck area late last year. On one afternoon, police issued dozens of distracted driving citations and several impaired driving citations. 

“The choices people are making definitely contribute to some of these crashes,” she said. 

Of the 2022 fatalities, she said, 33 were pedestrians and seven were bicyclists. To make conditions safer for those people, she said, DelDOT is always checking to ensure there are adequate places to walk, there’s sufficient lighting and there are facilities for cyclists. 

“We’re looking at all those things to try to figure out how we can drive change, because we have to do better,” Hastings said.