Greenville is consistently one of the worst cities of comparable size in North Carolina for motor vehicle crashes, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. Over a three-year period, from 2015 to 2017, the DOT’s reports demonstrated that Greenville had the top number of crashes (14,694) within its city limits among cities statewide with a population of more than 10,000. Of those crashes, 29 resulted in fatalities while 3,634 of them caused injuries.
Most dangerous roads
The DOT report also included the top intersections for crashes in Greenville according to 2017 statistics.
The following roads had multiple intersections that ranked among the top 10 most dangerous in the city:
- Arlington Boulevard
- Evans Street
- Fire Tower Road
- Greenville Boulevard
According to the DOT, the number-one most dangerous intersection in Greenville is at Greenville Boulevard and Evans Street.
Responses by officials
Agencies including public works, law enforcement, health care facilities and the Department of Transportation have formed a task force to identify and expedite safety measures that may prove effective. Task force goals include the following:
- Eliciting public feedback
The group would like information from the public about its efforts. It has gained a significant response thus far through social media.
- Education
The task force wants to provide instructional information to drivers about safe practices such as passenger restraints, as well as unsafe practices such as fatigued or distracted driving.
- Engineering solutions
Reconfiguration of dangerous intersections could help improve traffic flow and decrease the likelihood of crashes. Traffic delineators to limit left turns at the formerly dangerous intersection of Arlington Boulevard and Smythewyck Drive have all but eliminated accidents there.
- Enforcement
Authorities have made enforcing regulations related to speeding, stop signs and seat belt use a top priority. In 2017, the city installed red light cameras at five of the city’s most problematic intersections. Since that time, the cameras have captured approximately five violations per day and generated tens of thousands of tickets.
