due sunday july 22 2007

Woman is killed in Route 153 crashJuly 17, 2007
Staff Reports
A 33-year-old woman was killed late Sunday night when she lost control of her vehicle on Route 153 in West Rupert and crashed into a tree and then a house before the vehicle rolled over onto its roof.Vermont State Police said Melanie J. Neil was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.Police said the crash took place around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. Neil was driving a 1993 Honda Accord east when she lost control for some unknown reason and drove of the south side of the road.Police said Neil was not wearing a seat belt and there were no passengers.In addition to state police, firefighters from Rupert and Salem, N.Y., responded to the scene.Police said the crash remains under investigation.

if that lady would of worn a seat belt she probably would be alive with minor injuries. seat belts safe lives and people should wear them.

State police will increase traffic patrols on Route 9
By NICOLE ORNE, Reformer Staff
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Wednesday, July 18MARLBORO -- The state police and the town will be working together to curb traffic concerns along Route 9.
At last week's Selectboard meeting, Brattleboro barracks commander Lt. Rick Hopkins told the board that state troopers did, in fact, police the town roads, not just Route 9, a notion expressed by the board the week before.
When Hopkins read a recent article in the Reformer about speeding on Route 9, he immediately called up the Selectboard to set up a meeting.
Having read about the town and board's concerns and feelings of helplessness, Hopkins wanted to discuss possible solutions to the problem.
There is a lot of communication between the sheriff's department and the state police, he said, so "if there's a sustained, continuous problem on a road and you told the sheriff's department about it, I'd expect to hear about it," and respond.
And when Selectboard member Lucy Gratwick asked for specific amounts of time spent policing back roads, Hopkins assured her that a larger staff was on its way.
While the state police are busy right now, Hopkins said there will be three more people on staff by the end of the summer.
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Right now, "We start with places where the accidents are."
Hopkins had applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the state to aid in accident reduction on Route 9, specifically for the section running through Marlboro. This was used for 2005 and 2006, but the grant focus has since changed, Hopkins said, so he could not re-apply.
There was a limited impact, he explained, because real change requires a few years of work. "It's kind of tough to make a big difference in one year," he said.
Hopkins agreed that last year was particularly difficult, with several fatal accidents on Route 9. "There are good years and bad years. Last year was a bad year and we couldn't explain why," he said.
It was clear that something needed to be done.
State Police Lt. Bill O'Leary applied for a grant to create a position for a crash data analyst.
"With the number of fatalities we saw over the years, it became an issue to get real time crash data from Vermont," O'Leary explained.
Sarah Kepchar, the new analyst, has spent most of the past two months training.
"She's going to be able to get us data about crash patterns and causes," O'Leary said. "She's just now getting her feet wet. We're hoping, in the next couple of months, to get data reports out to the field commanders." While some accidents, such as weather-related crashes, cannot be fixed by enforcement, Hopkins said, "a lot of them you can."
"What we think we're seeing is faster drivers," Selectboard member Craig Hammond said.
"It seems people are more distracted when they're driving and just fly," Selectboard Chairwoman Gail MacArthur added. "With new cars, you don't know you're going so fast."
Hopkins agreed, saying that speeding cars could also affect residents' quality of life.
Road Commissioner David Elliott said it was important to see the truth of the issue. "It's not out-of-staters," he said. "It's Vermonters that know where they can make up a little time."
It was also important to recognize that college students and participants in the summer music festival were not really as much of a problem as suggested, Gratwick said. It's residents in Marlboro and Halifax that cut through town on their way to work, Elliott agreed.
Hopkins suggested three solutions:
* The state police could do a speed survey with an unmarked car with a laser.
* They could put a "smart cart," an electronic display that gives drivers a real-time visual of their speed, on the road. Doing so, however, tends to be a double-edged sword as people may accelerate to see how high they can get the reader to go.
* Or Marlboro could send a representative to the community advisory board.
The community advisory board is comprised of people from all towns within a department's jurisdiction.
It meets quarterly with the state police to discuss issues, serving as a "conduit between the town and the state police," Hopkins said.
Representatives also have a direct contact to call with issues or trends between meetings.
Although there was an attempt in the past to send someone from Marlboro, there is currently no representative on the board.
The next meeting, possibly an open house, will be held in October. There will be a statewide meeting in December.

its good that the police are keeping a good watch on traffic and trying to reduce speeding and making driving a little bit safier.


BOSTON -- Massachusetts State Police Sunday were looking for the drivers of two cars who may have left the scene of a deadly crash on I-95 that killed two men.
Both vehicles were described by witnesses as dark colored Honda Accords or cars similar in appearance. "One is believed to have an altered height in a 'low-rider' style," state police said in a statement.
Two people were killed and two others suffered serious injuries after the five-car crash on I-95 northbound in Attleboro early Saturday morning.
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The multi-car crash occurred when a 1998 Honda Civic driven by Isaac D. Souza, 21, from Leominster, Mass., entered the breakdown lane, striking an unoccupied 1997 Honda Accord.
The Civic then spun back into the highway and set in motion a crash involving three other vehicles.
Souza was declared dead at the scene. The driver of a 2004 Dodge Dakota, Michael G. Doble, 36, from North Attleboro, was killed when his truck rolled over. Claudia DeLeone, 22, and Jose Gouveia, 21, suffered serious injuries and were taken to Rhode Island Hospital. A 16-year-old suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Police said they are looking for anyone who might have information about the two cars that may have left after the accident.

when you get in an accident you should never leave the scene until you have spoken with the police and they say your good to go because you have to give your insurance to the driver or drivers you got in an accident with.



2nd part when you want to time your arrival into and intersection and you see a red lght drive slow and take your time to get there and if your far enough away and driving slow enough you mite just get there as soon as it turns green and when it does scan 45 degree search when driving through.

3rd part its good to drive with a 4 second following distance because if the car infront stops you will be able to make a nice smooth stop and you will have a good reaction distance, its also good because if the car infronts crashes into another car you will see it and be able to stop or go around,and if some one was following you with a 4 second following distance you wouldnt get rear ended .