Maps of Charlotte streets show which spots have had the worst wrecks
The spike in dangerous “super speeders” is not limited to North Carolina highways. A new Charlotte Observer analysis of crash data shows a recent climb in the number of vehicle crashes that led to death or serious injuries on city streets and thoroughfares.
These wrecks, based on data from 2016 to 2020, were more common in neighborhoods to the northeast and northwest of uptown, an Observer analysis of Charlotte Department of Transportation data found.
The Observer used city DOT data to plot where these crashes happened and what the primary cause was in each case. These do not include wrecks on state-maintained roads, such as interstates. From 2016 through 2020, there were some 775 vehicle crashes in Charlotte that caused serious injuries or a fatality.
Of all serious crashes, about a quarter were listed as involving a pedestrian.
By far, the most common primary cause of deadly crashes in 2020 was speeding. Of the 74 crashes that led to a fatality on a Charlotte street that year, about a third were caused primarily by someone exceeding the speed limit. In other cases, people failed to slow down properly, were drunk or failed to yield to a right-of-way.
Fatalities and serious injuries in Charlotte, 2016-20
One stretch of Wilkinson Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods, roughly bordered by the airport, Freedom Drive and Interstate 85, had 26 serious crashes during that time — the most of any area in the city.
Two areas north of uptown had 16 serious wrecks, tied for the second highest total in the city.
One includes both the I-85 interchange areas on Sugar Creek Road and University City Boulevard, data show.
The other is along North Tryon Street, at East Sugar Creek Road, between NoDa and Hidden Valley.
North Tryon Street saw the most wrecks, followed by South Tryon Street, East Independence Boulevard and Freedom Drive, all of which had 20 or more crashes with a serious injury or fatality from 2016 through 2020.
The average speed limit on the roads where serious wrecks occurred was less than 40 mph.
2020 traffic fatalities in Charlotte
The findings point to a trend that has been documented by the Observer elsewhere.
Last year, the Observer found that extreme speeding was leading to more deaths on North Carolina highways. That investigation — “Death In The Fast Lane” — found that 92% of extreme speeders in the state got breaks in the courts that allowed them to avoid the full penalty of their crime.
The number of fatal crashes on all Charlotte roads, including highways and others not maintained by the city, climbed in 2020 to 288. In 2015, there were 185 fatal wrecks, a recent Observer analysis found.
On city-maintained streets, unsurprisingly, traffic volume was a strong indicator of the number of fatalities.
North Tryon Street had the most fatal wrecks in 2020, with five crashes that resulted in a death, the Observer analysis found.
South Tryon Street had three, as did Beatties Ford Road, Sunset Road and E W.T. Harris Blvd.
“We’ve got to get a handle on speeding before more lives are taken,” said Dimple Ajmera, a Charlotte City Council member. “It has taken many lives.”
Ajmera said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has recently implemented a program to step up enforcement in areas the city has found to be most dangerous. The city is also looking at technology-focused solutions like red light cameras and speeding cameras, though those require approval from the state legislature, she said.
Ajmera said she hopes those remote-enforcement options will dissuade reckless speeding while also freeing up resources for CMPD.
Ramping up traffic enforcement “ties up our very crucial resources, but that’s what is needed right now until we get this under control,” she said.
Gavin Off contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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