Column: Oklahoma needs a long-term strategic plan to address rural highway safety problems

Tulsa World

By James Grimsley
 October 21, 2022

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently reported that 65% of Oklahoma’s traffic fatalities occur on rural roadways. The disparity between our state’s rural and urban highway safety is especially troubling in light of our national highway fatality trend of increasing fatalities nationwide.

It was recently reported that in 2021 our nation experienced the largest percentage increase in traffic fatalities since the end of World War II.

Overall, our state highways face a significant backlog of deferred and delayed maintenance. However, our rural highways are particularly problematic as many of these are narrow two-lane roadways with no shoulders. We also have problems with blind hills and blind curves on our rural highways. We must improve the safety of our rural highways.

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