Local woman killed in wreck

A 26-year-old Madisonville woman died Saturday morning in a single vehicle crash on Louisiana Highway 59 just north of Sharp Road, State Police said.

Like 17 others to die this year in St. Tammany Parish, Christina Vanstock was not wearing her seatbelt.

As a passenger, Vanstock, of Davis St., was partially ejected from a Dodge Neon after it veered into a ditch, smacked a driveway, went airborne and hit a tree about 12:15 a.m., State Police Troop L spokesman Louis Calato said. The car landed on its driver’s side, Calato said.

Vanstock was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Neon, Rebecca Thornton, 27, of Baton Rouge, was transported to Lakeview Regional Medical Center for treatment of severe injuries. Upon release from the hospital, Calato said she would be arrested and charged with careless operation, second offense driving while intoxicated and vehicular homicide. As of Tuesday morning Thornton had not yet been booked, he said.

Vanstock’s death is the 23rd vehicle fatality in St. Tammany Parish this year, 17 of which, or 74 percent, were not wearing a seatbelt, Calato said.

“It takes two seconds to buckle up,” Calato said. “Why would you take your life in your hand to save a few seconds? Without it you won’t survive.”

Vanstock’s death comes on the heels of a recent study that indicates more Americans are buckling up than ever before. A record 83 percent of U.S. citizens are now thought to strap in daily, compared to 82 percent last year, a record for its time, according to the study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“More and more Americans are realizing that the mere seconds it takes to buckle up can mean the difference between life and death,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said.

In St. Tammany that number is even higher. State Police estimate as many as 90 to 95 percent of the parish’s residents use their seatbelts, Calato said.

State Police derive their statistics from studies three times a year, where 100 vehicles are observed at random intersections, he said.

“People here are getting the message, but we won’t stop until we try to get everyone buckled up,” Calato said.

Calato attributes a large portion of the public’s willingness to strap in from local enforcement efforts and high visibility campaigns such as the Transportation Department’s “Click It or Ticket” media blitz.

Locally, however, State Police enforcement increased with three motorcycle troopers who fan out throughout the parish searching strictly for seat belt violators and other minor infractions.

The program, on hold in the wake of recent hurricanes, is likely to resume soon in earnest, Calato said.

“We can reduce fatalities here,” Calato said. “We can reduce the number of people who don’t wear their seatbelt. We can make a difference.”

Others agree.

The NHTSA estimates approximately 270 lives are saved for every 1 percent increase in belt use.

Calato hopes that message resonates with drivers so people like Vanstock don’t die so young.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “Very much so.”