CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seven people have been killed in crashes on Charlotte's roads in the last week, data from Charlotte-Mecklenburg police shows.
These deadly crashes come as the holiday season gets started in the Carolinas and CMPD is encouraging all drivers to take precautions to ensure a safe trip wherever they're headed. CMPD is a partner to the city of Charlotte's Vision Zero Action Plan, a $17.1 million initiative that aims to have zero deadly crashes in the city by 2030.
"We’re doing all we can to design safer roads, make our signals operate as safely as we can. Our police force is doing all they can to try to enforce the rules of the road," Angela Berry, the Vision Zero Project Manager for the City of Charlotte said.
Those investments would go toward pedestrian crossings, safety around schools and transportation safety improvements. Berry said deadly crashes in Charlotte are on the rise with an average of 70 per year.
She said crashes always go up this time of year.
"When you get behind essentially a weapon and drive it, it's up to you to drive it responsibly and make sure you’re trying to get home safe for yourself and your family as well as others on the road," Berry said.
In a news release, CMPD said the top three causes of deadly crashes are speeding, distracted driving and driving while impaired. Speeding concerns have been raised in several Charlotte neighborhoods, with residents complaining about drivers going way too fast on a regular basis.
"Speeding is out of control because you have a lot of young people not paying attention," Ronald Carpenter, who lives near Tyvola Road, said. "And a lot of people are just racing through the streets just because."
Vision Zero Charlotte installed signs in areas across the city where speeding is considered a problem. The signs were placed in locations where there was documented speeding in excess of 10 mph over the limit and "high injury areas," and in areas requested by residents.
"CMPD wants everyone to have a safe holiday season and no family should have to feel the pain of losing a loved one due to an avoidable traffic fatality," CMPD said in a statement.
CMPD officials told WCNC Charlotte the DWI Task Force will be holding weekly saturation patrols through the end of the year and into January.
CMPD safe driving tips:
- Don't drive distracted. Avoid all devices while driving, including your phone
- Ensure all occupants are wearing a seatbelt or are in the proper car seat or booster
- Never drive while impaired. Always have a plan and use ride-sharing services
- Obey the speed limit. The faster you drive, the longer it takes to stop
Car crashes are among the leading cause of death in teenagers. Several times in December there are opportunities for families to learn safe, defensive driving and crash avoidance at the zMax Dragway.
“There’s a lot of deadly things around on the road and we’re trying to avoid those situations and make sure that a parent doesn’t get the phone call that they lost their kid in a deadly crash,” Doug Herbert, the founder of B.R.A.K.E.S., a teen driver program said.
Herbert, a former drag racer, got that call in 2008. He lost both of his sons.
“When you get lemons, you make lemonade,” he said. “I felt like if I didn’t do something to make a difference and honor my two sons that I’d be a criminal.”
More than 100,000 teens have gone through the program in the last 15 years and Herbert has noticed teen drivers are more distracted. Putting down the phone is one of the first things they teach.
“It’s proven in a five-year study that these teenagers that we’ve trained are actually 64% less likely to be involved in a car crash so that’s amazing to me,” Herbert said.
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