Over the last 10 years, nearly 600 drivers have crashed after running off Crow Wing County roads. The highway department has been working to prevent these crashes by increasing driver awareness around curves. The effort has led to a massive installation of chevron signs. In 2009, the Crow Wing County Highway Department installed more than 300 chevron signs on 70 curves along 7 roadways. The County looked at numbers of run-off-the-road crashes along these roads three years before and three years after the chevron installation. The crashes decreased by 60 percent. As a result of the chevrons’ success, the highway department added 700 signs on 150 curves in 2013 and installed a whopping 2,000 signs on 450 curves in 2014. The amount of tourism in the Lakes Area creates a demand for the road markers because numerous drivers lack familiarity with area roads. The chevrons will hopefully continue their trend of effectively decreasing crashes for tourists and locals alike.

By — Shane Lee