Safety improving at one of Kane Co.'s most dangerous intersections

One of Kane County's most dangerous intersections has seen a double-digit percentage decrease in accidents since state officials installed improved left-turn signals.

Last summer, the Illinois Department of Transportation spent $133,000 on new streetlights and better traffic signals at Route 72 and Randall Road in Elgin.

Before, motorists could turn left on a green arrow and then creep into the intersection after the arrow went away.

Now the left-turn arrow turns red - effectively prohibiting motorists from moving forward into the intersection and turning after the light turns red.

Fatal crashes at the intersection occurred in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and the area has been tops in Kane County for overall accidents since 2006.

According to figures from the Elgin Police Department, there were 106 accidents in 2006 and 2007 at that intersection. In 2008, that number dipped to 76.

As of Aug. 11, 2009, there have been 34 crashes there this year - none of them fatal.

"Generally speaking, any time you have a protected left (turn), that would assist in decreasing accidents," Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said.

The year-to-date figures are more telling.

From Jan. 1, 2006, through July 31, 2006, there were 64 crashes. That same time frame in 2007 and 2008 yielded 50 and 46 crashes, respectively.

For 2009, the 34 crashes represent a dip of nearly 30 percent compared to the same time frame in 2008 and nearly a 50 percent drop from 2006.

Elgin police were unable to break down how many of the crashes were people turning left on red or being rear-ended.

Jim Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association in Washington, D.C., said the left-turn arrow is one factor in the intersection becoming safer. The recession has decreased traffic fatality rates as fewer people are engaging in discretionary travel, Baxter said. He also pointed to higher unemployment resulting in fewer cars on the road.

"You can't look at those numbers in isolation. There's other factors that may play into this," he said. "It's complicated, but it's not a mystery."