(SELBYVILLE, Del.) - 12 people have been killed on Delaware highways so far this month. There are 3 major roadways that run north to south. With all of these fatalities so far this year, it's important to note a contrast on the Delaware-Maryland border.
On the state line between Bishopville, Maryland and Selbyville, Delaware it can be seen that guardrails run the length of the Maryland side but cease once they hit Delaware.
The question arises: Are roadways safer in the free state than in the first state? Senator Brian Pettyjohn of the 19th Senatorial District which Selbyville is a part of references the national standard which states that any divided high speed highway with a median of less than 60 feet should have a barrier.
Pettyjohn tells WRDE: "I don't believe that 113 and 13 were in the department's list of roads that they're going to put the cable ties or cable barriers in place. If there's any change to those standards moving forward, Delaware would make those changes as well."
Senator Pettyjohn also says that 113 has been dualized on the Delaware side for 20 years now. Maryland started a dualization process for route 113 back in 2015 to convert the entire two-lane roadway into a 4-lane divided highway on their side. Before this plan was implemented, this major roadway had seen more than 25 fatal crashes in the previous 40 years.
Governor Carney states that the government is doing everything in their power to make roadways safer for Delawareans and visitors. "They have initial plans to install guardrails where they've had significant accident experience and I expect we'll be looking particularly in light of the horrible accident that occurred not that long ago, look at every area of route 1 and all the major highways in our state to make sure that they're safe."
Delaware Lawmakers say that while they can enforce traffic laws, they can't legislate or regulate common sense. Seatbelts and paying attention to roadways is what ultimately prevents accidents.