Last Updated on April 23, 2014 12:06 pm
The Highway Patrol ended its Operation Slow Down campaign on Sunday, April 20th. The campaign which began on Monday, April 14th, was focused on reducing speed related collisions on North Carolina highways. The campaign was conducted in combination with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program No Need to Speed campaign.
Speed remains the leading cause of traffic collisions and fatalities in North Carolina and across the country. Last year, the Highway Patrol investigated 815 fatal collisions on North Carolina highways statewide. Of those, 208 deaths were contributed to speed. In 2012, 242 deaths were reported.
During the week long campaign, troopers issued over 16,608 citations for numerous traffic violations to include 7,359 speed-related charges. Despite the end of the campaign, troopers will continue to aggressively enforce the speed limits on North Carolina highways. “Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of the motoring public,” said Bill Grey, commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
A breakdown of the most notable violations is provided below:
Violation – Number of Statewide Charges
Speeding 7,359
DWI 352
Careless and Reckless Driving 360
Seatbelt 1,483
Child Restraint 198
Improper Passing 51
Left of Center 142
Driver’s License Violations 1,634
For Watauga and Caldwell counties combined:
DWI 5
Provisional Licensee 1
Other Implied Consent Offense 3
Drug Violation 1
Reckless Driving 2
Speeding (01-15) Over Speed Limit 108
Speeding (16-25) Over Speed Limit 50
Speeding (25) Over Speed Limit 1
Other Speeding 10
Seatbelt Violation 62
Child Restraint Violation 5
Improper Passing 1
Stop Sign or Light Violation 8
Equipment Violation 36
Left of Center 2
Drivers License Violation 36
Registration Violation 84
Littering 0
Yield Violation 3
Other 36
Total 454
Troop F covering Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Alexander, Iredell, Catawba, Lincoln, Burke, Caldwell
DWI 25
Provisional Licensee 2
Other Implied Consent Offense 14
Drug Violation 10
Drug Paraphernalia 5
Reckless Driving 18
Speeding (01-15) Over Speed Limit 603
Speeding (16-25) Over Speed Limit 218
Speeding (25) Over Speed Limit 26
Other Speeding 56
Seatbelt Violation 197
Child Restraint Violation 29
Improper Passing 6
Stop Sign or Light Violation 22
Equipment Violation 247
Left of Center 14
Drivers License Violation 232
Registration Violation 417
Littering 0
Yield Violation 16
Following Too Close 12
Failure to Secure Load 0
Move Over 1
Other 188
Total 2358
