North Carolina Officials Want To Remind You Speeding Wrecks Lives
Taking a road trip or just driving to work? Be sure to take it slow this week. North Carolina law enforcement will be patrolling the roads July 18-24 looking for individuals who are speeding. It’s all part of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Speeding Wrecks Lives campaign. Speeding Wrecks Lives is a national initiative in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“Speeding-related crashes are at all-time high levels across the country, including North Carolina, and one proven way to prevent speeding is an increased law enforcement presence on the roads,” said Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “Campaigns like these are key pieces to decreasing crashes, even as we work on more long-term solutions such as safe road design, safer cars and quality driver education.”
Speeding is one of the leading causes of injuries and deaths on North Carolina roadways. In 2021, 424 people died statewide as a result of speeding-related crashes. It can be tempting to go just a little over the limit but to be safe, drivers should avoid speeding. Just a little increase in speed reduces a driver’s ability to negotiate curves and makes it more difficult to stop.
Speeding is a major cause of injuries and deaths on North Carolina roadways. Consider these 2021 statistics (from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program):
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424 people died in speeding-related crashes in North Carolina in 2021.
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Speeding was a contributing factor in nearly 25 percent of all fatal crashes.
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91 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on non-interstate roads; 9 percent occurred on interstate highways.
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From 2017 to 2021, males made up the largest percentage (75 percent) of speed related crash fatalities. Males under the age of 39 account for nearly half of all speeding-related crashes.
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From 2017 to 2021, there was a 17 percent increase in speed-related crash fatalities.
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From 2017 to 2021, 27 percent of speed related crash fatalities occurred in the Top 5 Counties (Mecklenburg, Guilford, Wake, Robeson and Cumberland)
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