Looking for danger

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As the holidays approach, the tribal police are urging the public to practice safe driving, obey speed limits, wear seatbelts and be alert.

In 2003, the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP, was created under President Joe Shirley Jr. and first lady Vikki Shirley, who heads the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Under STEP, an officer from each of the seven police districts is assigned to undergo additional training in advanced accident investigation, highway drug interdiction/investigation, commercial vehicle inspections, hazardous materials training, criminal patrols, accident reconstruction, and various related lessons.

The program is intended to deter vehicle crashes, fatalities and injuries. The seven STEP officers are under the direction of Lt. Tulley Jim Sr.

There's some evidence it may be having an impact. From 2004 to 2006, Navajo area motor vehicle crash-related fatalities dropped by 66 percent while usage of driver and passenger seatbelts increased to 69 percent, which also includes the Gallup and Winslow bordering communities.

Jim is careful about drawing a connection, however, saying, "There are numerous causes for an accident."

Jim cited inattentive driving, speeding, reckless driving, DUI and livestock on the road, among many other reasons.

With the assistance of the Navajo Department of Transportation, STEP officers know where to target their patrolling and increase enforcement. The collaboration with NDOT enables them to pinpoint where vehicles accidents occur, the cause for the accidents, and which were fatal.

 Data collected from 1999 through 2006 shows 10,546 total accidents reported from all seven districts. Of the total amount, 1,964, or 18.6 percent, were due to inattentive drivers; 1,570, or 14.9 percent were caused by excess speed; and 1,662, or 15.8 percent, were DUIs.

The existence of the maps varies from state to state - Arizona doesn't have them - but the tribal agencies are developing their own database.

The roads with the most accidents are State Highway 264 from St. Michaels, Ariz., to Steamboat, Ariz.; U.S. 491 from Gallup to Shiprock; U.S.  160 from Cameron, Ariz., to Mexican Water, Ariz., and U.S. 64 from Shiprock to Farmington.

The stretch of road from Flagstaff to Dennehotso, Ariz., is known for its popularity with traffickers of drugs and illegal immigrants who want to bypass the interstate. And roads around the border towns also see many accidents.

"Most of the places that are close to bars and places that sell (alcohol) has a higher amount of traffic and accidents," said Officer Marwin Joe.

The highway from Burnside, Ariz., to Greasewood, Ariz., which traverses open range, has a large number of accidents caused by wandering livestock.

To track fatalities, data is gathered through the injury prevention specialist in the IHS Office of Environmental Health. The data goes from 1996 to 2007 and is shown in a bar graph chart that recorded about 90 fatalities in 1996 and about 80 in 2004.

"There are about 28 fatalities in 2007," Jim said.

Like NDOT, the injury prevention units work with Navajo Police to gather information on vehicle accident victims who are taken to health care facilities but don't survive.

Once the information technology experts crunch the numbers, it becomes clear where officers need to step up their patrols.

"We're not experts or statisticians," Jim said. "The information that is shown on those maps, it helps motivates the STEP team. It shows them where we need to step up."

 The program also is using the data gathered to educate and raise awareness to the public. STEP officers also conduct saturation points and seatbelt enforcement.

"Adults, mainly the driver, are the ones that usually wear their seatbelts," Jim said. "If they have children they're usually not in their carseats or in their seatbelts."

Some people say they cannot afford a child car seat but the seats are available free of charge from the tribe's Highway Safety Office, part of the Department of Law Enforcement.

The Navajo Nation doesn't enforce vehicle registration and insurance laws, but drivers should be aware that other law enforcement agencies do.

"People can still get to their destination safely if they leave 10 to 30 minutes early, set their cruise control and follow the speed limit," Jim said. "Most vehicles nowadays have cruise control and that helps."

STEP officers also reminded the public to pull over and let emergency service vehicles like ambulances pass, and slow down and give plenty of room to an officer conducting a roadside traffic stop.

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