Last Updated on August 10, 2015 2:52 pm
The N.C. Department of Transportation, on behalf of the Executive Committee for Highway Safety, has released the 2014 North Carolina Strategic Highway Safety Plan, which strives to make the state’s roads safer by reducing fatalities and injuries through strategic collaboration with various safety partners.
In 2014, there were 1,277 fatalities on North Carolina’s roadways, and 110,552 people were injured. The updated NCSHSP’s goal is to reduce these numbers by half before 2030, and to ultimately achieve the vision of zero highway deaths.
“Every fatality or serious injury crash involves someone’s family member, co-worker or friend.” said Acting Secretary of Transportation Nick Tennyson. “Even one death is too many on our roadways and that is why we have a vision of zero fatalities for the future of our state.”
The NCSHSP presents a comprehensive and collaborative approach for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on North Carolina’s roadways. The plan was developed through a diverse partnership of stakeholders representing the users of the North Carolina highway system and encompassing the 4 E’s of highway safety — education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency services. These safety stakeholders include state, regional, local, and tribal agencies, as well as other public and private partners.
NCDOT monitors fatalities and serious injuries on the state’s roadways, and the Executive Committee for Highway Safety uses the information to monitor the progress in implementing the strategies and achieving the goals of the NCSHSP. The goals provide an aggressive but achievable measure for the safety of all users on North Carolina’s highways, and will be achieved through the implementation of strategies and actions in nine safety emphasis areas.
“We need to remind everyone that the most important safety feature in a car is the driver,” said State Traffic Engineer Kevin Lacy. “They need to be belted, attentive, and obey all traffic laws. If we can get everyone that drives to adhere to that statement, we will be able to bring our fatalities and injuries down.”
