Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Allen Cooper, who safeguards the Big Horn Basin, may not necessarily be jaded, but he's seen more than his fair share of death on the highways. Ghastly images that stick in his brain because people are in too big a hurry or preoccupied with matters other than driving.

In 2007, there were 19 highway fatalities in Cooper's division — Park and northern Big Horn counties. Cooper investigated seven.

In 2007, there were 4,366 crashes that caused physical injuries across the state. Of that, 509 were alcohol related. There were 149 fatal crashes and 49 of those were alcohol related, Cooper said.

Picture a crash scene. Police cars and emergency vehicles with red lights gyrating like strobes, turning night into macabre-red day. Firefighters working frantically to free victims from cars crushed by impact, and ambulance drivers working equally frantically to save lives.

Picture a dead body lying on the ground, a blanket tossed unceremoniously over his head. There was nothing they could do. Their priority: Saving the living, those who are suffering, in shock or simply stupefied by tragedy that unfolded in a split second.

Eleven years on the patrol and 1,800 crashes for Cooper. Each fatality carries its own distinct image like a ghastly Polaroid better left unseen.

Men and women in uniforms work crash sites with practiced efficiency like mechanics switching spark plugs. But it's not that simple.

“I don't think anyone gets used to fatal crashes,” Cooper said.

Cooper will be busy interviewing witnesses and victims, taking photos or analyzing the evidence, but his eyes and ears take it all in, like firefighters removing pieces of a car to reach the victims screaming for help, emergency medical technicians performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation or staunching the flow of blood.

Then, the aftermath, orphaned children, widows and widowers.And Cooper with the heartbreaking job of notifying the next of kin that their loved ones are gone.

The Powell side of Park County is a maze of back roads, where stop and yield signs are easy to miss or ignore.

Watch the road, Cooper said.

Then there is U.S. 14-A. A majority of area traffic complaints stem from U.S. 14-A — drunk driver reports, drivers cutting in front of others, running stop signs, tailgating or passing in no passing zones. And people speeding or distracted by gadgets in their cars, Cooper added.

Drivers on 14-A often pass in no passing zones or when on-coming vehicles are hurtling down the highway toward them. Two vehicles traveling 70 mph, approaching in opposite directions in the same lane, have a combined speed of 140 mph, he said.

According to Cooper, in one-third of highway deaths, speed is a factor. Drivers will attempt to pass slower vehicles and will feel committed to completing the pass even if a car is approaching from the opposite direction.

“What if the other guy is in a bigger hurry than you are?” Cooper asked.

The stretch of highway between Powell and Cody has improved with the five lanes, but miles of two-lane highway remain.

Ironically many crashes occur just a couple miles before the two lanes widen to five, Cooper said.

“We are an impatient society,” Cooper said.

Motorists are under pressure from work, family and a host of other factors and determined to reach point B posthaste.

Driving 65 to 70 miles per hour will only beat the 60 mph driver by a minute or two. Or the speeder will wind up behind a slowpoke, Cooper said.

When approaching 14-A from a side road, wait until all visible cars have passed before entering the highway.

Running a stop sign can yield a hefty ticket (up to $100 in circuit court) or worse.

“That's how rabbits get killed,” Cooper said. And he isn't joking.

Too many distractions: Cell phones, text messages, radios, iPods and a host of other on-board bells and whistles can lure eyes off the highway, Cooper said.

“Cruise control is a recipe for complacency,” Cooper said.

The cruise control is set, drivers relax, and their reaction time is slower.

Allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. And, Cooper said, keep your bearings. Often, they receive emergency calls, but drivers are unable to pinpoint an exact location to dispatchers.

“Stay attentive, alert and expect the unexpected,” Cooper said.