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By Rachel Kytonen
rachel.kytonen@ecm-inc.com
Isanti County is now a central figure in national efforts to promote and reduce the number of severe crashes and fatalities on rural roads.
The University of Minnesota’s national Center of Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) announced a partnership with Isanti County to promote rural road safety locally and nationally during a meeting Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Isanti County Government Center.
Congressman Jim Oberstar, as well as several local leaders and community members, heard presentations regarding Isanti County’s efforts to promote safe roads including the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) and Safe Cab programs, initiatives that hope to be modeled nationally.
 Pictured: This image taken from www.saferoadmaps.org shows the number of severe crashes (in red) and fatalities (in yellow) in Isanti County in 2007. When clicking on a location, a report gives more detailed information, such as whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.
CERS’ representatives also gave a demonstration showing the use of Safe Road Maps, a Google Maps-based program that helps drivers identify, avoid and fix unsafe stretches of road in their area. The Safe Road Maps initiative is being adapted to further focus on local alcohol related fatalities and Safe Cab participation.
Isanti County Judge Jim Dehn, who has been tracking DWI offenders and their last place of drink for nearly a decade, announced the Center for Alcohol Policy in Washington, D.C. has pledged $10,000 toward support of the Isanti County Safe Cab program and extending the program to other counties.  Judge Dehn
Safe Cab provider Pete Brown said 2,018 people, encompassing 1,152 trips, have used Safe Cab since December 2005. He said the cost has been $6.39 per person. So far in 2008, Brown said the number of rides is up 30.59 percent, and there has been a 32 percent increase in the number of passengers. Cong. Oberstar
Dehn said the success of the Safe Cab program is due to several partnerships that have formed throughout the county with local leaders, bar owners and business professionals.
“This is really a story of partnerships,” Dehn said. “Our goal was to see if we can turn the trend down, and the statistics show we are doing that.”  Pete Brown
Dehn said since the inception of the Safe Cab program, the blood alcohol content (BAC) in DUI offenders coming from bars has reduced from .171 percent to .145 percent.
Lee Munnich, director of CERS, said he’s known about Isanti County’s Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) efforts and Safe Cab, and looked at models from Isanti County and Minnesota that can be incorporated into other states.
“There are a lot of crashes in rural areas, including death and serious injury crashes in rural areas,” Munnich said. “There is a lot of data to support this, and it isn’t just happening in Minnesota.”
About CERS
The CERS is a joint program between the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs State and Local Policy Program and the Center for Transportation Studies, and sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration.
Congress created CERS in July 2005 with backing from Cong. Oberstar, who is chairman of the U.S. House Transportation Committee.
On June 30, it was announced by U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Thomas Barrett that the University of Minnesota will be home to a new national clearinghouse for information on making rural roads safe.
The Rural Highway Safety Clearinghouse, developed and maintained by CERS, is available at www.ruralhighwaysafety.org.
The clearinghouse is intended to be an easy-to-use starting point for information about safety on the nation’s rural roads.
Safe Road Maps
Tom Horan, research director for CERS, is excited about the launch of www.saferoadmaps.org.
Horan said the Web site is interactive, and currently Isanti County is being showcased on the Web site due to its TZD and Safe Cab programs.
On the homepage, Web site users can click below the Minnesota icon. On the next page, users can click on “severe crashes and fatalities” that will bring them to specific Isanti County data.
The data will show the number of severe crashes and fatalities in Isanti County in 2007 and detailed information on the crash.
There are also links connecting to DUI programs and data, DUI last drink location and TZD programs and maps.
“This information can really raise awareness regarding what roles bars play in reducing fatalities,” Horan said. “We are very appreciative that you share your data with us. This Web site can give the average citizen data and access to know how safe our roads are.”
The Web site also shows what area bars are currently using the Safe Cab program.
Cong. Oberstar said the Web site is a great tool for transportation officials, as well as the general public.
While Cong. Oberstar was praised by several regarding his transportation efforts, Oberstar noted it’s the partnerships that have made Isanti County TZD and Safe Cab programs successful.
“This is an extraordinary distinction for Isanti County,” Cong. Oberstar said. “Isanti County and East Central Minnesota should be proud of this initiative.”
Key Facts
- Half of the 42,000 crash-related fatalities in the U.S. occur on two-lane rural roads.
- Sixty-two percent of all alcohol-related fatalities involving passenger vehicles occur on rural roads.
- Crash victims are five to seven times more likely to die if arrival to a hospital exceeds 30 minutes.
— Provided by Center for Excellence in Rural Safety www.ruralsafety.umn.edu
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