'Buckle up and slow down' the message after spike in Wake County driving deaths
Wake County's top prosecutor and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) are voicing a message to drivers ahead of New Years Eve: Buckle up and slow down.
Wake County is leading the state in the number of fatal crashes. It's a growing trend causing deep heartache for families.
The Governor's Highway Safety Commission said there are three contributing factors to these fatal crashes, all of which are preventable.
Speeding, driving while impaired and, in 45 percent of the crashes, not wearing a seat belt.
On Thursday night in Wake County, there were two crashes, one downtown and one on Capital Boulevard, taking the lives of two people.
"We've got a problem and we've got to address it," said Mark Ezzell with the Governor's Highway Safety Commission.
Wake County is seeing a startling increase in fatal wrecks
In 2018, Wake County saw 65 fatalities in 59 crashes. In 2022, Wake County had 118 fatalities in 110 crashes.
"In North Carolina, we have 45 percent of our traffic fatalities from people who are not wearing seat belts," Ezzell said.
Not wearing a seat belt is one part of the growing trend. Another factor is speed and reckless driving.
"You're basically the pilot of a 3-ton guided missile down the highway," Ezzell said.
In 2022 in Wake County, there were a total of 25 fatalities (out of 23 fatal crashes) where the officer noted speed was a factor.
"Because of speeding, erratic driving or drunk driving ends up killing someone," District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said. "These are tragic cases where we work hard to get justice."
Freeman is also feeling the impact of the trend in her office as the number of cases to prosecute with death by motor vehicle is climbing rapidly.
"I have been doing this work for 25 years," Freeman said. "Certainly, we have always had cases of high speed but the volume where we are seeing them going in excess of 90 mph has really increased," Freeman said.
Now 40 percent of those fatal crashes are on rural roads in Wake County, according to the NCDOT.
