WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX18) — In the last 48 hours, we have seen two very serious and deadly accidents on the road, and the Woodford County emergency management director is providing some traffic safety tips.
Central Kentucky has witnessed two devastating and deadly vehicle accidents.
On Saturday, police say a Lexington man, 49-year-old Micah Smith, was hit and killed by a vehicle while crossing the outer loop of East New Circle Road in Lexington on Saturday morning.
Friday evening, three people were killed and three others were hospitalized after four tractor-trailers and two passenger vehicles crashed on I-64 in Woodford County.
Both incidents are being investigated. The reason behind the crash in Woodford County is currently unknown.
"It is really unfortunate that it does seem like it's happening during nice times. But these highway injuries that we've seen they can happen any time of the year," said Drew Chandler, the Woodford County EMS director. "There's a lot of distractions in a vehicle from cell phones to even the pet that's not secure in the passenger compartment. So, being aware of your surroundings."
Chandler offers a couple of tips drivers can use to stay safe on the road. One of them is limiting distractions, like keeping your pet in a carrier. "Knowing alternate routes to your to get to your destination is something that we see when a road is closed. Whether it be for a planned maintenance thing or, like we saw Friday evening a major incident that shut the roadway down for several hours."
And make sure to give larger vehicles, like semis, enough room to stop, especially when you change lanes.
"Speed limits are there for a reason. So if you're driving significantly over or significantly under, the posted speed limit, you may actually be creating problems on the roadway that have ripple effects to traffic ahead of and behind you," said Chandler.
