How risky is it to travel on Charlotte roads? This data reveals a troubling trend
The number of traffic accidents -- and deaths resulting from those collisions -- has skyrocketed in North Carolina over the last decade, according to an analysis of local data.
From 2018-2020, Charlotte had the most crashes among cities in the state, with 126,479 recorded, N.C. Department of Transportation data indicates.
These charts show the number of non-injury accidents and fatal crashes in Charlotte from 2006-2020.
Here are some takeaways from the data:
From 2006 to 2020, Charlotte’s population grew 33%, and the number of crashes during that time period rose 41%.
A decline in accidents in 2008 and 2009 coincided with a recession in the U.S. economy.
While the total number of collisions dropped in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fatal crashes went up. Data from NCDOT show the number of fatalities per week were significantly higher than the 5-year average during the summer of 2020.
Pedestrian deaths
At least three pedestrians in Charlotte have been killed by drivers in the last two weeks.
From 2010-2019, the Charlotte area ranked No. 35 out of 100 metropolitan areas in the country for pedestrian deaths, with 421 people struck and killed by vehicles during that time period, according to a report published by Smart Growth America.
What’s causing these crashes?
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of vehicle accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. More than 3,100 people in the U.S. were killed by distracted driving in 2019, the most recent year data was made available.
Speeding was a contributing factor in approximately 7% of all reportable motor vehicle crashes in 2020, NCDOT data indicates. The numbers also show that 61% of vehicles involved in fatal crashes were exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 mph.
Roughly 2% of the crashes in Charlotte from 2018-2020 were alcohol-related, data from NCDOT show. From 2015-2019, there was an average of 1,125 alcohol-related crashes annually in Mecklenburg County.
