Editorial: Safety on K-10 can’t wait for another study

Originally published April 29, 2011 at 9:24 a.m., updated April 29, 2011 at 9:24 a.m.

Recently, a tragic crossover crash on Kansas Highway 10 killed two Eudora residents, including a five-year-old boy. This has prompted public officials to act and garnered Governor Sam Brownback’s attention.

Officials have looked at the highway several times before. We hope this time, their efforts will yield results.

Officials are responding to what they perceive as a dangerous stretch of road. This was the third wrong-way fatality crash in K-10 since August. According to the Kansas Department Of Transportation, from 2000 to 2010, 19 people have died and 756 were injured in a total of 561 injury accidents on K-10 between Lawrence and Interstate-435.

Eudora’s mayor, Scott Hobson, asked Governor Sam Brownback to have the state place wire or cable barriers along the highway’s median, as a way to hinder or slow down traffic that might cross over into the wrong lane.

Gov. Brownback has responded with a letter to the Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary, Deb Miller.

In his letter, Brownback calls for KDOT to communicate with Hobson about his thoughts and concerns, and also to form a local group to include in discussion and decision-making.

Brownback also ordered KDOT to immediately begin designing a project to widen shoulders and add rumble strips along the Douglas County stretch of K-10. This has already been done in Johnson County, and although this measure would likely not have prevented the most recent tragic crash, it is an important safety improvement that could be implemented immediately while waiting to evaluate and plan for cable barriers.

Most importantly Brownback has ordered KDOT to immediately begin an update of the previous study on cable barriers on this section of K-10.

Every three years KDOT reviews all state four-lane highways. This section of K-10 did not qualify for cable barriers in a 2008 study, compared with two other four-lane roads near Topeka and Wichita with higher fatality rates. K-10 would be considered again in a 2012 study, but the Governor has ordered the study to re-open immediately.

K-10 is heavily traveled by students who commute to the University from the Kansas City area. Although the number of actual deaths might be lower than other highways, hundreds of accidents occur on K-10 every year. This highway should be re-evaluated for cable barriers, and in the meantime other safety measures should be implemented. KDOT should respond to the Governor’s and other public officials’ concerns.

One more tragic death as a result of a crossover accident is one too many. If barriers would prevent another fatality, then KDOT should take the necessary steps to re-evaluate K-10, and cable barriers should be installed. Especially amidst talk of perhaps increasing the speed limit on K-10 from 70 mph to 75 mph, cable barriers would make the road safer for all drivers.

— Erin Brown for the Kansan Editorial Board.

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Editorial: Safety on K-10 can’t wait for another study

Are there "hundreds of accidents every year" on K-10 or 561 in 10 years?

Editorial: Safety on K-10 can’t wait for another study

561 injury accidents in 10 years, from my reading. There are probably hundreds every year if the count includes non-injury accidents. I don't think those are incompatible statistics.

Editorial: Safety on K-10 can’t wait for another study

Alright, that makes sense. So how many of those hundreds of non-injury accidents become injury accidents if we introduce a barrier in the currently unobstructed median space?

Editorial: Safety on K-10 can’t wait for another study

Yes, the "if it saves only one life, it's worth it" logic. Too many times those measures end up costing lives as well. Trust the engineers and remember the law of unintended consequences.

Do you know if people just paid more attention (put away the cell phone, sandwich, CD, newspaper, and girlfriend) the number of accidents would drop immediately without one penny being spent. Accidents just don't happen usually, there is an underlying cause. According to the initial police reports the driver had marijauna in his system. Maybe the Kansan should reconsider the decriminalization of grass.