AAA Carolinas has labeled rural North Carolina the "killing grounds" for drivers in accidents.
More than 1,100 people died in traffic accidents in North Carolina last year, though the number is lower than in years prior. A shows the continuing trend of fewer fatalities on the road since 2010. The number is dropping, but slowly.
"We're averaging 3 deaths a day throughout the state which is pretty doggone high, considering that we're having a decline in overall traffic fatalities and people are driving less," said Tom Crosby, spokesperson for AAA Carolinas.
There are some dark spots within the report. North Carolina remains one of the most dangerous states for rural driving in the country. The state ranked third behind Texas and California for the most non-interstate rural traffic deaths in 2012, with more than 800 fatalities.
And pedestrian deaths are on the rise.
"It just seems like we're walking ourselves to death," said Crosby. "We're in the top 10 pedestrian deaths in the nation. A lot of those are occurring in the urban areas, but also in the rural areas, where there's no sidewalks and people are tending to walk with traffic. they don't have reflective bright clothing on at night. There's a growing traffic death epidemic in North Carolina."
One out of every six traffic fatalities in the state involves the death of a pedestrian.
The Top 5 NC Dangerous Counties
Best Chance of Being in a Collision
- Pitt
- New Hanover
- Vance
- Person
- Stanly
