Dr. Noelle Hunter
Ohio University alum Dr. Noelle Hunter, Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, authored an op-ed on “Highway Fatalities on the Rise.”
Hunter earned a Master of Public Administration in 2009 from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University and her bachelor’s degree from the Scripps College of Communication.
No one is ever prepared to say a final goodbye. There’s a unique sting that accompanies deaths that were seemingly avoidable and unnecessary. Last year in Kentucky, 835 people died in crashes. More than half were not buckled up and 20 percent died with impairment as a factor. For the families, co-workers and communities left behind, each number represents an irreplaceable person whose life was snuffed out too early. These are grim, and all too common realities in Kentucky.
It’s tempting to downplay 835 deaths compared to 4.4 million residents but the fact is 2016 was among the deadliest years for traffic deaths in the state and nation. Even more startling, nearly 4,000 people have died on Kentucky roads since 2012. Unless we make changes, those numbers will climb.
Read the rest of her op-ed in the West Kentucky Star.
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