When the Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story

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There’s an old quote that says, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The idea is that numbers can be twisted to tell just about any story you want. But the strange thing about the intersection of Highway 7 and Wise Street is that the statistics aren’t lying—they just aren’t helping.
We’ve got the numbers. Twenty crashes in five years. Two fatalities. Dozens of injuries. Most of the wrecks happen in broad daylight. And here’s the kicker: the majority of the drivers involved are from Water Valley. Not out-of-towners. Not folks lost or unfamiliar with the road. Locals. People who know that intersection — and still fail to stop at the four-way.

Even after MDOT made it a four-way stop in March, 2022, the number of wrecks didn’t change. That should’ve helped, but it didn’t. And that’s what makes this so frustrating. Everything looks right on paper. Warning signs. Flashing lights. Rumble strips. Stop signs on all four approaches. It checks every box—except the one that matters.

What the statistics don’t show are the near-misses. And that’s what people talk about the most. The close calls. The 18-wheeler that didn’t check up. The truck that blew through without even a tap on the brakes. It’s the stuff that doesn’t make the report, but it leaves a mark all the same.

Truth is, I probably wouldn’t even be sitting here at the Herald if not for a crash at that intersection. Ed Shearer III — the former longtime publisher at the Herald — was killed at that same intersection on December 29, 2003.

After an hour-long public meeting with Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell last week, it seems the best solution is a roundabout. Caldwell explained that a roundabout is the only thing that will force a driver to slow down. He cited other intersections in his 33-county district that have red lights, and said that often doesn’t slow drivers down either.

The problem with the roundabout, as explained by Caldwell, is it will take years before MDOT can get to the project. And those pesky statistics? They aren’t helping, as the commissioner said there are other intersections with a higher traffic count and more wrecks that also need roundabouts.

Another problem, Caldwell added: if you put one on the north end of the bypass at Hwy. 7 and 315, what about the south end intersection at Hwy. 32 and 7.

Meanwhile, it’s up to our local officials and the public to make the intersections safer. Defensive driving is a step we can all take—stop and take a long hard look before proceeding across the intersection. Enforcement is important, and that means the city police monitoring the north end and deputies on the south end, as that intersection is outside the city limits. The problem is, both departments are busy. I listen to the radio traffic on the scanner and can attest—there is something going on all the time.

My takeaway from last week: when a community gathers on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of summer to talk about one intersection, it’s because people care. And when you’ve got caring folks, that’s a start.