North Carolina
NC has some of the most dangerous roads in the US: See how Wilmington-area counties rank
With a recent study revealing North Carolina as one of the states with the riskiest roads to travel, some may wonder how safe the roads are here in the Cape Fear region.
MarketWatch Guides, a site that provides “reviews of consumer products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions,” focuses in part on car insurance comparisons, vehicle safety and more.
A recent study by the site analyzed factors including annual miles driven per 100,000 system miles, percentage of rough roads and fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers. States were given a rating out of 10 points, with 10 being the most dangerous.
More: Distracted driving in Wilmington: How big of a problem is it?
North Carolina’s ranking among the most dangerous
According to the study, the states with the most dangerous drivers based on the factors studied are:
- Louisiana – 7.55/10
- California – 7.21/10
- New Mexico – 6.74/10
- Hawaii – 6.73/10
- Delaware – 6.67/10
- New Jersey – 6.53/10
- Mississippi – 6.47/10
- North Carolina – 6.39/10
- Massachusetts – 6.33/10
- Maryland and Texas – 6.26/10
According to the study, North Carolina had 32.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 licensed drivers, but only 2.1% of rough roads, which was the lowest percentage out of the other ranked states.
For a more localized perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation releases annual traffic crash facts data. The most recent 2022 report includes a ranking of counties based on several factors, including reported crashes, crash severity, crash rates based on population, registered vehicles and estimated vehicle miles traveled.
The most dangerous county for drivers, ranked at No. 1 for the past five years, was Robeson County. The county had 60 fatal crashes in 2022 with 1,136 non-fatal injury crashes. The rest of the total 4,056 crashes were property-damage-only. The county with the best ranking was Hyde County, coming in at No. 100. The county had one fatal crash in 2022 and 10 non-fatal injury crashes. The county had a total of 45 crashes, the rest of which were property damage only.
More: MyReporter: Which intersections see the most red-light camera violations in Wilmington?
Here’s where the Cape Fear region counties ranked.
Brunswick County
Ranked No. 76 in 2022, Brunswick County had 25 fatal crashes and 715 non-fatal injury crashes. The total crashes for that year were 3,146. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
New Hanover County
Ranked No. 58, New Hanover had 19 fatal crashes and 1,313 non-fatal injury crashes, both of which went down from 2021. The total crashes in New Hanover were 5,617. The remainder of the crashes were property damage only.
Pender County
Ranked No. 47, Pender County had the worst ranking despite having the lowest number of crashes. The county had 12 fatal crashes and 374 non-fatal injury crashes, and a total of 1,156 crashes. The rest of the crashes were property damage only.
Iris Seaton, USA Today Network, contributed to this report.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Copper theft is becoming a growing problem across North Carolina, with AT&T officials warning that the crime can leave entire neighborhoods without phone or internet service and, in some cases, disrupt emergency communications.
According to AT&T, the company has recorded 215 copper theft incidents across North Carolina so far this year. Buncombe County alone has seen about 40 incidents over the past two years. Thieves often cut down or dig up communication lines, strip the copper from the wire and sell the metal for scrap.
“It’s problematic, largely from a public safety standpoint,” said Trey Rabon, president of AT&T North Carolina. “If folks need to call emergency services, need to call 911, they’re not able to access the infrastructure necessary to complete that call.”
“Sometimes we see instances where emergency communications are disrupted, communications between public safety agencies are disrupted,” Rabon added. “It has become an acute challenge, particularly in western North Carolina.”
5 CHARGED AFTER AT&T WIRE THEFTS CAUSED WIDESPREAD OUTAGES IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY
Rabon said thieves frequently target both residential and commercial communication lines, taking advantage of remote mountain locations where utility poles are often out of sight from nearby homes.
“In the mountains, oftentimes personal property is not in line of sight for other neighbors,” Rabon said. “Would-be thieves have the ability to climb a pole, disconnect a line, drive to the next pole and disconnect that line.”
In May, five people were charged in connection with multiple copper thefts across Buncombe County that investigators said caused widespread outages. Law enforcement also discovered several wire-stripping sites in Swannanoa and Leicester.
The thefts have also impacted local businesses.
SWANNANOA PIZZA SHOP SAYS INTERNET WIRES WERE STOLEN, FORCING A DAY CLOSURE
In early June, thieves cut and stole internet lines serving Good Pizza Company. Owner George Peyton said the outage forced the restaurant to close because employees could not access essential business systems.
“Nobody could clock in, couldn’t print tickets, couldn’t take phone orders, and that’s about 80 to 85% of the business,” Peyton said.
AT&T officials say one of the most effective ways to prevent copper theft is for communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
“They don’t like to operate in the light of day, and they certainly don’t want to operate with a hyper-aware and vigilant community,” Rabon said.
Anyone who suspects someone is stealing communication wire is encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department announced Monday the arrest of a man wanted in North Carolina.
Officers arrested Leko Jones, 46, who was wanted by authorities in Burlington, North Carolina, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Jones is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault by strangulation.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated effort between the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s Patrol Division and Investigations Division, working alongside the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators said they safely located Jones and took him into custody.
A section of E. 4th Street in Washington will close next week for sewer line replacement work.
According to the city, E. 4th Street from Hudnell Street to Aycock Street will be closed to local traffic on Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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