As of the end of July 2006, on that same stretch of roadway, KSP worked 204 collisions, 48 injury accidents and 154 fender-benders.
Davis said troopers are glad there were fewer accidents this year.
"We try really hard to keep everyone safe, but motorists must do their part, too," he said.
The Nicholasville Police Department had quite a few to report for U.S. 27 as well, with 303 injury accidents worked from Jan. 1, 2005, to Aug. 9, 2006.
Cpl. Shannon Sanders with the Nicholasville Police Department's Accident Reconstruction Team reflected on the question of whether U.S. 27 is a dangerous roadway.
"It's not the roadway that's dangerous, it's the people on it," he said. "They're in a hurry, and they're either speeding or not paying attention, or they're on the phone. A lot of them are also drinking or using drugs, too."
Sanders' job as an accident reconstructionist often exposes him to situations which are unsettling, and often tragic.
"We're all human, and when you see someone suffering, it affects you," he said. "But you just have to rely on your training when you come upon a bad scene. You have a job to do, and you just get it done."
Ray Woosley, superintendent of Garrard County Schools, was involved in a multi-vehicle accident on U.S. 27 near Camp Nelson last October. The vehicles involved were Woosley's car, a farmer on a tractor, and an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman about to give premature birth to twins. The back door of the ambulance was knocked open, and some objects flew out, but not the patient.
"My vehicle was totally destroyed, but I was very, very lucky," Woosley said. "I'm just so glad that nobody was badly hurt."
Woosely travels U.S. 27 on an average of twice a week on his way into Lexington.
"I see accidents on that road all the time, and some of them have been pretty serious," he said.
In March, Darrell Wesley Coffee, 29, of Pinoak Drive was killed near the intersection of U.S. 27 and KY 169 when a sports utility vehicle in which he was a passenger was struck by a car.
In December 2005, Brad Joseph Vallot, 31, of Edgewood Drive was killed in a collision with an 84 Lumber Truck at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Edgewood Drive. Vallot's 2004 Ford Focus struck the passenger side of the truck to hard that the Focus went underneath the truck, its front bumper protruding from under the driver's side.
Earlier that month, Thelma J. Swiney, 66, of Short Shun was killed in a collision with a pickup truck at the intersection of U.S. and Brannon Road. Both vehicles ended up on the lawn of King's Garden Center.
Though the causes of traffic accidents are many, tragedies could be greatly reduced if people would just use a little more common sense and be just a little more courteous, Sanders said.
"It's that simple," he said. "Watch where you're going. And slow down - so what if you're going to be five minutes late? You'll get there alive. And if someone wants to get over, let them over. A little courtesy goes a long way."
