| RELEASE: CONTACT: |
IMMEDIATE Laura Bullock 540-387-5493 saleminfo@VDOT.Virginia.gov |
SAL-262-05-FS April 7, 2005 |
BACKGROUND ON FIRST YEAR RESULTS OF I-81 HIGHWAY SAFETY CORRIDOR
- Telephone Survey:
- A survey of 1,200 Virginians was conducted from Dec. 13-30, 2004, by the Southeastern Institute of Research Inc. A total of 300 people were questioned from western Virginia.
- Among the questions were two specifically about Interstate 81:
- Are you aware that motorists stopped and ticketed for speeding on a section of I-81 near Roanoke, known as the Highway Safety Corridor, may have to pay significantly increased fines?
- 50% said yes; 49% said no; 1% dont know
- If you have driven that part of I-81, how has your driving behavior been affected? Would you say &
- Drive safer and pay closer attention to the posted speed limits 42%
- It has had no effect, as have always driven the posted speed limits 38%
- It has had no effect; continue to drive as always have 18%
- Dont know 2%
(Note: Question was asked of those who were aware of the Highway Safety Corridor.) - Survey results are outstanding John Martin, president and CEO of Southeastern Institute of Research Inc., said, New social marketing programs, such as Virginias highway safety corridor, take the longest time to build awareness and generate the desired response change in behavior. From our experience in measuring the impact of ad programs for Fortune 500 companies, achieving 50% awareness in less than 12 months is phenomenal.
Crash Statistics: - For the past two months, VDOT traffic engineers worked with Virginia State Police, local law enforcement and Department of Motor Vehicles to verify crash records on the 15-mile section of I-81 designated in early 2004 as a Highway Safety Corridor.
- All agencies agreed on criteria for counting crashes. Full manual recounts of 2003 and 2004 data were conducted. Data is now complete and accurate.
- Statistics show that the number of wrecks has leveled off since the stretch was designated a Highway Safety Corridor in January 2004. The number of crashes had increased each year from 2000-2003. Had that trend continued, a 13 percent increase in wrecks would have been expected from 2003-04. Instead, the number held steady, with 213 crashes in 2003 and 215 crashes in 2004.
I-81 Safety Corridor Reportable Crash Counts:
| Year | PDO Crashes | Injury Crashes | Total Crashes | Source |
| 2000 | 84 | 54 | 138 | HTRIS |
| 2001 | 102 | 39 | 141 | HTRIS |
| 2002 | 115 | 62 | 177 | HTRIS |
| 2003 | 145 | 68 | 213 | Manual Count |
| 2004 HSC | 146 | 69 | 215 | Manual Count |
| Note: No fatal crashes have occurred in the corridor from 2000-2004. | ||||
Annual Crash Trends in I-81 Safety Corridor:
Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.
Page last modified: April 8, 2005
