I don’t know the validity of the study but earlier this week, the editor’s email contained a report on the most dangerous time of the day to drive in Nebraska.
According to the report, the most dangerous time is between 4 and 4:59 p.m. These days I generally am working in the office at that time of day and not out driving. However, when I attended Pleasant Valley School a few decades ago, that was the time I was on the road riding my pony home from school.
Of course, my school was in Kansas and the study was based on Nebraska data but my route to and from school took me within sight of Nebraska. I thought the morning hours to be the most dangerous as part of the way drivers coming up behind me were facing the sun. I was concerned they might not see the horse and small boy. If I was travelling that same route today with a horse or bicycle, I would probably wear a bright reflective vest. They didn’t exist back then but now I keep a reflective vest in the newspaper vehicle should I have to be on a public road taking pictures. And I have such garments in my closets at home and work.
I will admit the scariest time with my horse was on a trip in the 4 to 5 p.m. time frame. Returning from school, I was driving a pony pulling a cart my father had made from part of an old Buick automobile. The pony apparently was frightened by something, balked and stopped on the highway blocking the north bound lane about a quarter of a mile from home.
An oncoming automobile kept a semi-truck driver but passing. He stopped behind us. When the oncoming vehicle had passed the truck driver turned into the south bound lane to pass. The horse was wearing blinders and became even more frightened by the noise behind him and started backing up and turning the cart into the southbound lane, probably with the hope of seeing where the noise was coming from. I was afraid the cart would be run over by the truck. It wasn’t but I’m thankful the semi trailer lacked a rear bumper. I think the rear portion of the semitrailer passed over a corner of the cart. I remember ducking and feeling the semitrailer overhead
Nationally the 5 to 5:59 time frame is the most dangerous in 12 states.
In Nebraska, 76 of the 1,246 fatal crashes recorded between 2017 and 2022 occurred between 4 and 4.59. That is 6.10 percent higher than any other time of the day. Nationwide the most fatalities, 12,813 or 5.91 percent of the 215,907 crashes occurred between 6 and 6.69.
I’m glad I no longer have to travel Highway 14 with a horse. While the speed limit has been reduced from reasonable and prudent to 60 miles per hour, it seems more dangerous today. Last Wednesday, while returning from a mail run to Mankato, an approaching semi-truck crossed the centerline into my lane. The driver pulled it back to his side of the line before we met but I had slid over to the edge of the blacktop and was contemplating the ditch, After meeting, I watched in my rearview mirror and saw the truck drifted back across the centerline.
Was the driver fighting sleep, eating or using his cell phone?
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