49°F Cloudy 
What's happening in:
1/1/10
|
3 comments
2009 Maine road deaths 3 more than year before Augusta man dies in Pittsfield accident; fatalities at 158
An Augusta man who died Thursday evening as a result of injuries he received in an accident along Interstate 95 in Pittsfield raised the number of fatalities on Maine roads in 2009 to 158, authorities said.
Alton Grover, 60, died when the Jeep Liberty in which he was a passenger slid off the interstate in the southbound lane and rolled roof-first into a tree, a Maine State Police dispatcher said. The accident was reported at 6:14 p.m.
Provided no one died late New Year’s Eve, the 2009 figure is three more than the 2008 toll of 155 but is still considered one of the lowest on record, according to Lauren Stewart, director of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.
In 2007, the state recorded 183 traffic fatalities, and in 2006 it had 188.
Fewer walkers and bicyclists died on Maine roads in 2009 than last year, but more ATV users and motorcyclists were killed, Highway Safety figures state.
“Deaths related to motorcycles went up this year,” Stewart said. “That number is at 22.”
Last year, only 18 people died on motorcycles, while 21 deaths were recorded in 2007.
“It usually averages around 20,” Stewart said.
Ten pedestrians died on Maine roads during 2009, down from 12 in 2008.
“We had zero bicycle fatals this year, compared to four last year,” Stewart said. “However, ATV deaths on the road went up to five, from one last year.”
There also was one moose-related fatality this past year, and zero the year before.
The alcohol- and speeding-related death figures for 2009 are not yet available, Stewart said.
Highway Safety and Maine State Police records show the three previous safest years since 1959 were 1982, when 166 people were killed in highway crashes, and 2005 and 2000, when 169 people were killed.
The lowest number of fatalities was recorded in 1959, when 136 people died on Maine roads, and the highest was in 1970, when 276 people were killed, Stephen McCausland, state police spokesman, has said.
Michelle Ward, a Maine Bureau of Highway Safety fatal accident system analyst, said Thursday she will keep her fingers crossed that no one else dies on New Year’s Eve and the number of highway fatalities for 2009 does not increase.
990-8190
Not registered? Click here
|
E-mail this
|
Print this
|
Local News
An Orono man who was arrested in Hampden on Saturday for allegedly stalking a former girlfriend and breaking into her …
EDDINGTON, Maine — The Eddington-Clifton Civic Center is quiet in the moments before actors arrive for rehearsal of …
ORONO, Maine — More than 40 area educators, school administrators, elected officials and others gathered at the …
BANGOR, Maine — Verizon Wireless’ only call center in northern New England has 40 job openings created by a …
AUGUSTA, Maine — The National Weather Service and the National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a red flag warning …
Recent comments
If Maine takes any federal money, be prepared to have A LOT of strings attached! The first thing Maine needs to do is …
That's true - Harry's Boutique. I especially liked the old yellow school buses that you could glimpse out in the woods. …
It all comes down to responsible dog ownership regardless of how you look at it. As a lifetime dog owner I would never …
Is Miller's expanding, or, EMMC? It seems highly unlikely that EMMC is letting Bill Miller take over their …
Guess he'll be back on the Registry soon. Hopefully to stay - with close monitoring of all activities.
Keep OUI Repeat Offenders In Jail Much Longer
And Watch The State Set A New Low Record
people in maine drive like retards. They pull out in front of you and do 10-20 under the speed limit when there is no one behind you. They do not know how to use a turn signal properly. In inclimate weather they drive faster than they do on dry roads. The biggest is you do not know how to move over on the highway when people are merging. They do not know how to utilize a turn lane and do not know what a YIELD sign means. If you are driving under the speed limit or at the speed limit get out of the PASSING lane. If you maine drivers would understand the information mentioned above and utilize it than there would be a few less accidents every year.
cbpo2858 people in Maine drive like retards?? I have got to say that your posted comment shows your ignorance.