Crashes in Vermillion reflect public education, road improvements

In 2019, South Dakota had a record low in traffic fatalities. Vermillion experienced its first fatality from a traffic incident since 2015. Out of the 166 drivers involved in an accident last year, 151 (91%) were unharmed. 

Luke Trowbridge, a patrol lieutenant for the Vermillion Police Department, said he doesn’t notice a large change in the number of crashes each year, but one particular trend surprised him in 2019. 

“What was somewhat surprising was just that the actual number of dry road crashes that we have,” Trowbridge said. “One would ultimately think that we’re going to have more when we have icy and snowy conditions, things of that nature. But, actually the majority of them do happen when the roads are dry.”

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, over 70% of Vermillion’s crashes took place on dry roads. 17 crashes occurred on Fridays last year, more than any other day of the week. An overwhelming majority of incidents occurred between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Trowbridge said that time of the day is when most people are using the roads. 

These numbers, Trowbridge said, have helped the local police identify problematic areas in previous years. 

“When we identify a project, and we’re able to go out and step up our enforcement of traffic violations in that area, it absolutely does help,” Trowbridge said.

Public education plays a large role in limiting traffic issues, Trowbridge said. 

“I think in a majority of cases, just being aware, whether it’s a public awareness campaign or just an obvious thing to do while you’re driving,” Trowbridge said.

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety has a number of campaigns promoted on its website, regarding highway safety, drunk driving, teenage drivers and other topics. To avoid future accidents, they are planning to have road maintenance and pothole prevention immediately.

Trowbridge said he noticed how various projects in Vermillion have made a long-term impact, particularly how Dakota Street has improved since he attended USD.  

“(Dakota Street) wasn’t organized, didn’t have lane controls like it does now, with the turning lane and stuff,” Trowbridge said. “I think a lot of those things have helped to alleviate a lot of the traffic issues around campus.”