Hunter killed by combine while walking on rural road; safety always a good topic of conversation

Rural road safety is always a good topic of discussion, especially during hunting season when more pedestrians could be walking on or near roads. This was the case on Saturday in rural Illinois when suburban Chicago hunter David Olzeski was struck and killed by a combine while walking with traffic in Forreston (Best Places map), Christi Warren reports for SaukValley.com, which covers Northern Illinois.

Although about 19 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, 55 percent of highway deaths occur in rural areas, says the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota. In 27 states more than 75 percent of roads are in rural areas, while 42 states have at least 50 percent of roads classified as rural. The fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled is 2.5 times higher in rural areas, compared to urban ones. (Read more)