Highway 12 spans 192 miles beginning at the border of S. D. and ending near the St. Croix River, at the edge of Wis. This highway happens to weave right through the local communities of Maple Plain, Orono and Long Lake. Although this section of road is only seven or eight miles long, it brings something much larger: a high concentration of car accidents.

During the first two weeks of Dec. 2014, two fatal and tragic crashes occurred on this stretch of road. According to CBS Minnesota, the first crash happened at 9:45 at night when a head-on collision caused the death of a Plymouth resident. The collision resulted in the ejection of the driver from the car when it collided with a semi-truck.

Days later on Dec. 9, another crash took place in Maple Plain. In this instance, the collision claimed one life when a car crossed the center line of Highway 12, according to CBS Minnesota. This accident shut down the Maple Plain stretch of Highway 12, routing traffic onto County Road 6 instead.

Additionally, two others died from car accidents on this section of Highway 12, earlier in 2014.

Amid local distress about Highway 12’s safety in this area, local company Diamond Surface Inc. donated the resources and labor in order to improve the road conditions from west of Delano to as far east as Wayzata. The addition of more rumble strips over the center line of the road was suggested in order to alert drivers if they began to drift into the other lane.

According to the Minn. Department of Transportation (MNDOT), rumble strips are grooves in the road that alert inattentive drivers through the use of noise and vibrations when their car tire passes over the strips. The concept is meant to reduce accidents by alerting drivers sooner, giving them more time to avoid a collision or veering off of the road.

The project was completed by Diamond Surface Inc. days following the second crash in Dec. In total, adding the rumble strips to Highway 12 cost approximately 15,000 dollars.

Although effort to improve safety conditions the local stretch of Highway 12 have occurred, crashes continue to take place along the 192 mile highway.

On Jan. 2, another collision took place in Kandiyohi County, of western Minn. Once again, one fatality was reported at the scene of the accident, according to CBS Minnesota.

Many of these crashes have a common link: crossing the center line of Highway 12. A crash becomes more deadly when it involves a driver crossing over the center line because this usually results in a head-on collision. This type of car accident proves more fatal to not only the driver of a vehicle, but the passengers as well.

Something as simple as looking down at a text message or trying to multitask while driving, can result in fatal crashes, just like the ones that occurred in the surrounding community.

The addition of rumble strips is a great safety precaution in order to help shrink the number of car accidents, but ultimately, the best way to avoid deadly accidents is to stay focused on driving and putting down a cell phone.

Nonprofit organizations such as Minnesotans for Safe Driving, encourage staying focused behind the wheel as well as educate the public with Minn. driving statistics and how to operate motor vehicles safely.  

More information on safe driving and Minnesotans for Safe Driving’s mission can be found on their website.