AUGUSTA

With traffic deaths in Maine about to reach 100 for the year, the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety is reminding drivers to be extra cautious over the long Labor Day weekend.

Ninety-nine people have died on Maine roads so far this year, including 21 highway deaths in August alone.

Bureau Director Lauren Stewart said the August death toll is a 57 percent increase over the highway deaths during the same time in 2016, when 12 people died.

Stewart said the two common factors for this year’s August fatalities are male drivers in their early 40s and vehicles veering off the road.

According to Stewart, 58 Maine law enforcement agencies, including state police, have been participating in an impaired driver enforcement effort during August and many of those agencies will have additional patrols out during the holiday weekend.

Last year during the Labor Day weekend, five people died in Maine traffic crashes.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Department, Topsham and Bath police departments announced they will conduct a regional impaired driving enforcement roadblock in Sagadahoc County from Sept. 1-9. The roadblock will take place during the evening hours.

Back to school caution

AAA of Northern New England is also urging motorists to be careful as schools across the nation start for the year. As 13 percent of schoolchildren typically walk or bike to their classes, AAA warns drivers to be especially vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours. The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous — over the last decade, nearly one in four child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 p.m., AAA states.

AAA notes that, in 2015, across the U.S. there were 456 child pedestrians killed as a result of motor vehicle crashes according to Safe Kids Worldwide. That same year the Centers for Disease Control reported one of every five children under the age of 15 who were killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is about two-thirds less likely to be killed as compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 35 mph.

“These tragedies are devastating to families and school communities but they can be prevented,” said AAA Northern New England public affairs manager Pat Moody. “We remind drivers to watch out for young pedestrians and bicyclists, obey all posted speed limits, pay extra attention around school zones and never drive distracted. Parents also play a vital role in protecting students by reviewing traffic safety rules with them before school begins and throughout the year.”

For more information, including advice for motorists and parents to keep children safe as they navigate their way through school zones, go to www.AAA.com.

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