North Dakota
Increase in North Dakota motor vehicle fatalities linked to lane departures
FARGO — Vision Zero is warning drivers about the deadly consequences of leaving their lanes.
They say a majority of motor vehicle fatalities in North Dakota in 2023 were caused by lane departures.
A fatal lane departure crash happened roughly once a week in 2023, said Lauren Wahlman, the safety public information program manager for the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
Avoiding distracted driving, such as not using cellphones while driving, is an easy way to prevent leaving your lane.
“Distracted driving is very under reported, but as you can imagine, that is a huge reason why people are leaving their lane, and they’re crossing the center line or leaving the roadway; because they’re distracted,” Wahlman said.
Lane departures can be especially dangerous on two-lane highways where there’s no margin for error if you cross the center or edge lines.
“You have a lot less room to correct your mistake if you are distracted and you go off the intended lane, or you cross that center line,” Wahlman says.
The North Dakota DOT continues to put safety features on roads to reduce the chances of a lane departure. District Engineer Joe Peyerl said rumble strips on center and edge lines are now the standard on new projects, with the exception being some roads in populated areas.
In 2024, they’ve also been widening pavement markings. For drivers, practicing safe habits can help keep you safe if others on the road aren’t following the rules.
“Exceeding speeds can have detrimental effects on motor vehicle crashes, and the No. 1 thing you can do every time you get into the vehicle is buckle your seat belt. You might do everything right, but you can’t control what others are doing on the road. So a seat belt is going to be your best defense in a vehicle crash,” Wahlman said.
Wahlman also says if you see another driver repeatedly swerving in and out of their lane, to pull over when you can and report the vehicle to law enforcement.
North Dakota
North Dakota voters to decide single-subject requirement for future constitutional amendments on June 9
BRECKENRIDGE — Coaches, teammates, friends and family gathered in the south parking lot of Breckenridge High School for another state tournament sendoff.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
This year, it was Troy Berndt taking the ceremonial convertible ride. He is headed to St. Michael-Albertville High School for the Minnesota Class A State Track and Field Meet on June 4-6.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
He will be running in the third heat of the 400-meter prelims, scheduled for 4:52 p.m. June 4. There are seven athletes in each heat, 21 total, and nine will advance to the finals at 6:20 p.m. June 5.
The top two finishers in each heat advance, along with the next three best times. Berndt’s personal best time of 50.67 has him seeded 13th, but the 10th-, 11th- and 12th-seeded runners are less than five hundredths of a second ahead of him. The eighth- and ninth-seeded runners are also close, at 50.33 and 50.39, respectively.
Berndt dropped nearly seven-tenths of a second from his previous personal best at the Section 6A West Subsection Meet on May 21, running 51.35, and shaved another 0.68 seconds off at the Section 6A Championships on May 28 with a time of 50.67. If he keeps lowering his time, he will have a shot at reaching the podium against the best runners in Class A.
Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News
Results and photos will be available online immediately following the race June 4 and in the June 10 print edition of the Wahpeton Daily News.
Corbin Lee is a sports reporter for the Wahpeton Daily News and Richland County News-Monitor. Corbin can be reached by calling (701) 291-3551 or emailing corbin.lee@wahpetondailynews.com.
On this day in 1971, Rugby repeated as North Dakota’s high school sand greens golf champion behind medalist Dwight Stempson’s winning performance.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
Rugby Repeats As Sand Greens Golf Champion
RUGBY, N. D. — Rugby repeated as North Dakota high school sand greens golf champion here Wednesday, posting a four-man total of 293 strokes for 18 holes.
Led by medalist Dwight Stempson’s medalist 36-35 — 71, the Panthers were eight strokes ahead of runnerup Stanley, which had a 301. Following were Garrison 311, Beulah 315, Leeds 322, Ashley 323, Bottineau 328, Pembina 329, Tioga 332, Parshall 341 and Hettinger 342.
Stempson and teammate Bruce Carlson each had one-under par 71s, but Carlson was unable to be at the regional and wasn’t qualified for individual honors.
Rounding out the Rugby totals were Delwin Wilson 40-37 — 77 and Dennett Hutchinson 35-39 — 74. Gary Kirchoffner, 41-39 — 80, was Rugby’s fifth entrant with the best four-of-five scores counted.
Runnerup Stanley was led by Steve Springan’s 34-38 — 72 and Joe Springan’s 36-38 — 74. Their two-man total of 146 strokes was good enough for the doubles title. Two strokes back with a 148 was the duo of Stempson and Wilson. Stan Saathoff and Mike Stepina of Garrison each had 76s for a 152 total and the Ashley combo of Steve Maier (76) and Dave Kretschmar (78) was fourth with a 154.
Stempson was the driving contest winner with a distance of 280 yards. Chris Knutson of Garrison headed the pitch and putt competition.
Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.
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