Younger Ages Cited in Kitsap's 2007 Traffic Fatality Statistics

Kitsap Sun
Saturday, November 24, 2007

Organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been hitting local high schools for years to tell teens the dangers of speed and alcohol use on the road.

But what's happening when those same teens turn twentysomethings is a cause for concern to MADD's Kitsap chapter president, Marsha Masters.

"It seems when they got to 22 or 24, (the education) all went out the window," Masters said.

Nineteen people have died in traffic-related accidents this year on the roads of Kitsap County, according to records compiled by MADD and the Kitsap Sun. But of those deaths, 42 percent of them involved residents aged 26 and younger, and 63 percent involved people 38 and younger.

Masters said some in their twenties share a feeling of independence on the roads — many are no longer tied down to school and yet aren't old enough to be raising families.

"They're on their own and they've got jobs," she said. "But they just don't realize that can happen."

That attitude in Kitsap County is made worse by its rural terrain, where, "behind every corner is either a tree or power pole."

Drivers in their twenties also seem to share a common passion: a heavy right foot.

"Speed is a big huge problem," said Washington State Patrol Lt. Ken Noland. "Whether it's people thinking they're invisible or people just not thinking, it's frustrating."

Noland said with the holidays coming up, Kitsap County residents need to be mindful of dangerous and drunken drivers on the road. Simply paying attention on the roads will improve their safety, he said.

"We have so many distractions in our cars," he said. Daily, we see people reading a book, putting on makeup, or text messaging. We've lost our focus on driving when we're supposed to be driving."

Noland also reminds drivers to make a plan to have a designated driver if they know they'll be drinking.