By Trish Svoboda

Statistics from the Kansas Department of Transportation show that 242 people lost their lives in rural road crashes across the state, compared to 143 urban traffic fatalities last year. This accounts for 63% of 2023 crash deaths statewide. Rural roads make up more than 115,000 miles of Kansas’ nearly 139,000 public road miles.

To address this issue, Governor Laura Kelly announced that the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Drive To Zero Coalition are launching the annual Rural Road Safety Awareness Week. The campaign will take place from July 15-19.

The theme for this safety week is “Life Between the Lines: Preventing Rural Roadway Departures.” This observance is part of a nationwide campaign led by the National Center for Rural Road Safety.

Avoiding rural roadway departures and improved driving conduct are essential for traffic safety. A roadway departure crash occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, potentially leading to head-on collisions if it enters an opposing lane of traffic. When a vehicle crosses an edge line, it is common for rollovers and collisions with trees, utility poles, or other objects to occur