APRIL 3, 2015
BUTLER TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) said three people are dead
after a crash on Interstate 81 in Luzerne County.
The crash happened on Interstate 81 southbound right after
the junction with Interstate 80.
Both southbound lanes of I-81 have reopened.
Troopers said one of the vehicles crossed into oncoming
traffic. Perhaps another drunk or
drugged person or a medical emergency?
PSP confirms: 3 dead after I-81 crash this morning. Driver
of black car crossed into oncoming traffic. @WNEP pic.twitter.com/ULYtjIvJzq
— Ryan Leckey (@RyanLeckey) April 3, 2015
#UPDATE: Interstate 81 southbound in the Drums area has
reopened after deadly crash. @WNEP Traffic moving again in both directions.
— Ryan Leckey (@RyanLeckey) April 3, 2015
8:56 #AM on @WNEP …#LeckeyLive with an update on a deadly
crash on Interstate 81 N in the Drums area of #NEPA pic.twitter.com/0dICFFCNQi
— Ryan Leckey (@RyanLeckey) April 3, 2015
UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.
Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.
Approximately 34,000 people are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of dead.
However, the number of injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
It is worse than a war zone out there.
So, please be safe and be on the lookout for weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.