CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As more people begin to go back to work and school, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department warns fatal collisions are up 44% from this time last year.
“Far too often, we are knocking on doors in the middle of the night waking up families to tell them that one of their loved ones has passed away in one of these tragedies," said Sgt. Adam Jones with CMPD.
Sgt. Jones said despite the pandemic keeping people home more than ever, 62 people have died in a crash in Charlotte this year compared to 46 people by this time last year.
“This is frustrating for us, personally and professionally,” Sgt. Jones said.
Frustrating, because Jones said the crashes didn’t need to happen.
“Sixteen of those 62 have been confirmed DWI related incidents, 32 of our 62 collisions were related to excessive speed," Sgt. Jones said.
Angela Berry with CDOT said it’s why she won’t call them accidents.
“Traffic crashes are fixable problems," Berry said. "They are not accidents. Let's stop using the word accident today."
Berry said there have been a number of measures put in place to prevent crashes, but they haven't seemed to help.
"We've upgraded intersections, we've added more bike lanes, built additional sidewalks, lowered speeds," Berry said. "It's... it's puzzling."
Berry believes it’s on people to understand the people dying are somebody’s loved ones.
"How many traffic-related deaths and severe injury are acceptable in your family?" Berry asked.
Sgt. Jones said officers will also be conducting operations to catch impaired drivers or speeders.
“If someone gets upset with us for issuing a citation for speeding sometimes we’ll explain to them, listen, we’re tired of seeing your dead loved ones," Sgt. Jones said.
Sgt. Jones said we can save lives on the road if people stop speeding, stop looking at their phone, wear a seatbelt, and find another ride if they've been drinking.