Encouraging trend for traffic fatalities in Delaware

Given the holiday, I had planned on trying to find a local farmer who was in the middle of preparing birds for customers so we could talk turkey. Unfortunately, that’s going to have to wait until next year because I waited too long and was unable to line up an interview in advance.

Moving on, because there’s still a deadline to meet, I turned my attention to a much more serious topic – year-to-date traffic fatalities in Delaware. It’s a dataset I’ve gotten into the habit of checking every few months, ever since the state had a record high number of fatalities in 2022, with 166.

According to the Delaware Department of Transportation, as of Nov. 25, there have been 105 traffic-related deaths this year. Through the same period last year, there were 121. That’s a decrease of slightly more than 13%.

In total, according to the Delaware State Police’s 2024 annual traffic statistical report, there were 132 traffic-related deaths last year, which was down from 137 in 2023. Both are still much too high, but also represent significant improvements over 2022.

Kayla Mason, Office of Highway Safety community relations officer, said the office has been monitoring the numbers and believes several ongoing initiatives have contributed to the progress. She said there have been intensified efforts across three areas – enforcement, public outreach and media campaigns.

“Together, these strategies create a comprehensive approach that combines deterrence, education and accessibility,” said Mason. “While no single initiative can fully account for the reduction, OHS believes the sustained focus on these countermeasures has played a significant role in driving fatalities downward since the 2022 peak.”

The state police report shows the last time there were fewer than 120 traffic-related deaths was in 2020, with 118. It would be great if we can stay below that number again this year, and this time it can be without the help of a stay-at-home pandemic.

Great minds think alike

I’m not going to lie; I was pretty proud of myself when I learned of the tree Rehoboth Beach was planning to use for this year’s tree lighting and sing-along.

For those who missed it, this year’s tree, donated by the state, was located off Route 1 next to the Tharros Village and Delaware Department of Transportation salt barn. The property is the former home of Delaware State Police Troop 7.

In July 2024, after the old police station was demolished and before any new construction, I wrote in this column that I thought the tree would make a good one for the city. I’m 100% positive that Harry Caswell wasn’t inspired by my column. Lynne Coan, the city’s former communications director, emailed me after that column ran and said Harry Caswell had also been eyeing the huge evergreen.

I’ll tell you what – we were both right. Harry, his crew and others managed the difficult move well last week when it was installed. A few days later, I was in town for a meeting and I could see the top of the tree all the way from city hall. I’m looking forward to seeing it all lit up.

Harry and I may have the same taste in holiday trees, but we definitely differ when it comes to another holiday – Valentine’s Day. I can guarantee you’ll never see me all but naked on the pages of the Gazette with a special message to my wife.

Joke of the Week

It seems like forever at this point, but reader Phil submitted this joke a few days after the federal government both reopened for work and stopped minting pennies. As always, submit jokes to cflood@capegazette.com

Q: Why did the government recently stop minting pennies?

A: Because the government makes no cents.