North Carolina Fatal Bicycle Accidents

North Carolina Fatal Bicycle Accidents

Traffic Accident Statistics

North Carolina’s overall traffic fatalities had been decreasing slightly from 2012 through 2014. In 2015, however, there were nearly 100 more overall deaths resulting from motor vehicle accidents than there were in 2014. In 2012, there were 1,299 traffic fatalities and 1,290 a year later in 2013. In the following year, 2014, there were 1,284 deaths, while in 2015, the number went up to 1,379.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

In this state, the number of fatal bicycle accidents was starting to decrease but went back up in 2015. In 2012, there were 27 fatalities, 22 in 2013, and 19 in 2014. In 2015, the number rose up to 23.

Let’s Go NC!

Let’s Go NC! is a traffic safety program created by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. It is geared towards elementary age students. This program is designed to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety to children by showing them how to do these activities safely. There are two separate programs for children, one is designed for pedestrians, and the other is designed for bicyclists.

Let’s Go Biking

Let’s Go Biking is part of the Let’s Go NC! program. This program is a course taught to children of elementary school age, and it includes skill building exercises outside of the classroom. The goals of the program are to teach children the proper hand signals they should be using while bike riding, and also what traffic signs mean and how to follow them. The initiative also teaches bike control and cooperative riding through active instruction with children riding their bikes.

Governor’s Highway Safety Program

The Governor’s Highway Safety Program was launched in 2016 to reduce traffic-related fatalities. A total of 109 individual initiatives were funded through this program. These initiatives include programs designed to combat drinking and driving, programs to refresh the traffic knowledge of older drivers, initiatives to limit speeding, and to promote school bus safety.

In March 2017, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program held a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina called the Lifesaver’s Conference. This conference included 2,000 traffic safety professionals and was the largest gathering of highway safety experts in the country. The program projects success in the upcoming years in their efforts to reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths.

NC Vision Zero

The state has launched NC Vision Zero, a campaign designed to reduce all traffic fatalities to zero. This program was launched in 2016. It is a state-wide program that analyzes traffic accident data in order to determine the areas to focus on that would lead to the largest decrease in traffic collision injuries and deaths. This initiative includes a variety of experts who work together to accomplish these safety goals. The experts include engineers, law enforcement, emergency first responders, and educators. NC Vision Zero is based on the first “Vision Zero” initiative that was originally created in Sweden. It is a concept that has been utilized in other states to reduce traffic collisions.


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