NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Statistics show that October is the deadliest month to be on the road, according to the NCDOT.
Each October from 2017-2021 North Carolina has experienced an average of 148 fatalities, more on average than the second most deadly month, November, they said.
In response to this, ‘Operation Crash Reduction’ is running from Oct. 9-15, officials with the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program said.
The annual campaign enforces safe driving during one of the deadliest months of the year for fatal vehicle crashes, they said.
“Drivers may notice increased law enforcement efforts to crack down on speeding and bring awareness to unsafe speeds in communities statewide…including radar operations and speed display signs,” NCDOT explained in a written statement.
Officials said this October campaign is part of a greater effort led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to target speed, distraction, and impairment in North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
“This area of the country is prone to the nation’s highest number of traffic crash fatalities during the early fall,” the NCDOT said. “An increased number of North Carolina drivers take to the roads for seasonal-related activities in October. The high-trafficked period is a popular time for festivals, football games, and fall foliage.”
NCDOT said 29 percent of the 12,330 people who died in crashes nationwide in 2021 were related to speeding.
