It was in August of 2008, the same week the state installed guardrails along a stretch of roadway on Ky. 476 where two people had been killed in separate accidents, that we urged officials with the state highway department to take a long look into identifying roads where guardrails could significantly improve safety for motorists and take action.

Fast forward to last week and residents in Perry County are again mourning the loss of a life that very possibly could have been saved had appropriate measures been taken to improve the safety of a well traveled road.

The tragic death of Jesse Young should serve as a reminder that our roads are not as safe as they should be. According to state officials more than 740 people were killed on the roadways of the Commonwealth in 2009. While that’s a decrease from the previous years most likely due to the passage of a primary seat belt law, we shouldn’t think we have all our bases covered when it comes to the preventable loss of life.

Drunk driving remains the number one preventable loss of life on our roads each and every year, and we applaud the efforts of our law enforcement and representatives with the state Transportation Cabinet in combating this issue. But at the same time we should be looking at more than just combating drunk drivers to improve safety for the people of Kentucky.

And as we said in this space just a few months ago, we can not afford to be lax in our duty to protect people on our roadways. If not for the work of people like Bonnie Thompson, who in the wake of her daughter’s tragic death fought to convince officials that guardrails were indeed needed, those guardrails along Ky. 476 may still not be a reality.

It’s inexcusable that guardrails had never been installed along that stretch of roadway in Yerkes where Jesse Young lost his life. It’s a shame that it takes the death of someone before our government will take action to circumvent tragedy. But now that tragedy has befallen the people of Yerkes, we trust the Transportation Cabinet will take notice. And if they do not, we expect our elected leaders to step up to the plate and make them. If we have time to spend debating issues such as expanded gambling, surely we have the time to make our people safer.

There are things we do because we must, and then there are things we do because they are right. This is one issue that falls in both categories.