Tougher DUI penalties and photo enforcement may have helped spur the nearly 18 percent decline in the number of highway-related deaths in Arizona last year, according to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Arizona had 1,066 traffic fatalities in 2007, down from 1,293 in 2006, according to a report released last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic deaths across the nation were the lowest in 13 years. Arizona ranked fifth for the highest percentage reduction in fatalities. Deaths in all four categories of traffic-related fatalities - vehicles, pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists - declined from 2006, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The Office of Highway Safety credited a combination of factors, such as stiffer penalties for DUI and photo enforcement and a safer driving environment. For example, public awareness of the harsher DUI penalties, which went into effect in September, may have spurred drivers to think more carefully about unsafe driving. A spokeswoman for AAA Arizona said that drivers may be developing better driving habits. Other factors that have contributed to the decline in traffic-related deaths include: • Safer vehicles. Newer vehicles tend to be safer, experts say, and with newer models on the road, drivers are less likely to be in a fatal accident. • A reduction in miles driven. Nationwide, Americans drove slightly less in 2007 than in 2006, partly due to higher gas prices. Arizona could reduce traffic deaths even more if the state passed tougher legislation to require drivers to wear seat belts and increased the required age for booster seats. More than half of those killed in 2007 accidents were not wearing a seat belt, and about 45 percent would have survived had they worn a seat belt. The Teenage Driver Safety Act, a law that went into effect July 1, requires more driver training, a curfew and other limitations on young drivers. Even with the reduction in fatalities, the more than 1,000 deaths last year is a major issue.

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Two Department of Public Safety photo-enforcement vans have been taken out of service and the tickets issued from them could be in question. According to an Arizona newspaper, the vans were operating under a year-old pilot program. They were monitoring speeds on parts of state highways where the accident rates are high. American Traffic Solutions, which handles Valley speed and red-light cameras, complained to the Federal Communications Commission that the radar units on those DPS vans, which are operated by a competing company, did not have required government certification. The vans were taken off the roads earlier this month. They will not be put back into service until they get the needed federal approval. DPS has not said how many tickets were issued based on the vans' operations. It's also not clear if those cases will be dismissed and fines refunded to drivers. Competition among companies like American Traffic and Redflex Systems, which ran the DPS vans, is fierce as they vie for law-enforcement contracts throughout the country.

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Though it has been nearly six months since an off-duty sheriff's deputy was cited for speeding in the Northwest Valley, a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office investigation into the matter is still pending. Peoria police in February ticketed Jason K. Parker, of Surprise, for driving 96 mph in a 45-mph zone in his Chevrolet Corvette. According to police reports, the 26-year-old deputy was also cited for failing to provide proof of insurance. Sheriff's Office officials said the agency would conduct an internal probe into the citation after they heard about the incident, and declined to comment until it was complete. A series of information requests to the Sheriff's Office about the case, which began on March 10, went unanswered. However, in a July 21 e-mail request for information, Capt. Paul Chagolla answered, "case still pending." Speeding was also apparently an issue while Parker was on the job, according to the deputy's annual evaluation, which was obtained by The Arizona Republic under the state Public Records Law. Parker's supervisor reported in Parker's Nov. 7, 2007, performance review that the deputy had been involved in two vehicle accidents in the past year, citing speed as a factor. In the off-duty speeding incident, a Peoria officer on his way home reported seeing a Corvette speeding near Grand and 111th avenues. The officer caught up to the vehicle in El Mirage, where he called for backup, police said. The car's driver was identified as Parker. State law states that speeding becomes a criminal offense if a driver exceeds the speed limit by more than 20 mph. However, a copy of the Peoria police citation shows that while Parker was cited for "excessive" speed, it was changed later to simple speeding.

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The overturned black Kia Spectra lying at the edge of Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn hospital's parking lot drew the attention of three women walking along Drinkwater Boulevard Thursday morning. "What happened?" one of the women asked as she peered at the yellow police tape and small shards of broken glass around the mangled sedan. The concerned reaction was exactly what Scottsdale Healthcare's trauma unit is hoping for. "It's intended to heighten people's awareness. People are so busy, they don't take the time to stop and think, especially younger people who think they are invincible," said Vicki Bennett, Scottsdale Healthcare's trauma program manager. The wreckage is part of the hospital's effort to raise awareness about trauma injuries and the dangers of drunken driving, especially during this prom and graduation season, as well as the approaching Memorial Day holiday. The donated car, which went on display Tuesday, was the brainchild of the hospital's trauma staff, who witness a large number of what they describe as "preventable" crashes. The wrecked car, which faces Drinkwater north of Osborn Road, is expected to be on display until the end of the month. Osborn hospital, the East Valley's only Level 1 trauma center, treated about 3,600 trauma patients last year, according to hospital reports. Of those, about 91 percent were blunt trauma injuries, which arise mainly from vehicle crashes, bicycle injuries and falls. The other 9 percent involved penetrating injuries, which typically include gunshot and stab wounds. Bennett said there are a number of common-sense measures motorists can take to keep themselves safe. Those include wearing a seat belt, not running red lights and not engaging in distracting activities such as speaking on a cell phone while driving. And certainly not driving after drinking. If the display gets people to think before getting into their cars, the campaign will be a success, Bennett said. "Even reaching one person can make a difference," she said.

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