WalkSmartNC will partner with State Capitol Police, the NC State Highway Patrol and Raleigh Police Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to conduct a pedestrian and motorist safety awareness event at a high-traffic location in the Downtown State Government Complex.
A pedestrian and motorist safety initiative of the NC Office of State Human Resources, the WalkSmartNC event will focus on unsafe driver and pedestrian activity along North Salisbury Street, between West Peace and East Lane streets. With the goal of encouraging safe behaviors among pedestrians and motorists, law enforcement partners will issue citations only for evident traffic violations.
Representatives of the State Parking Division of the NC Department of Administration will provide outreach to state employees and visitors who use state parking decks 64, 75 and 76, which are within walking distance of state office buildings and museums as well as several restaurants and gathering spots.
WalkSmartNC has contributed to significant safety improvements recently approved by the City of Raleigh, including reduced speed limits, elimination of right turns on red, leading pedestrian intervals at crosswalks, and reconfigured left turn lanes. These measures were among the recommended findings of a survey conducted in partnership with the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program and NC Department of Transportation when WalkSmartNC launched in October 2019.
OSHR encourages state employees and visitors, especially schoolchildren visiting museums and other attractions, to Take the Pledge to both “walk smart” and “drive smart” to reduce the incidence of preventable traffic injuries and deaths.
TheNorth Carolina 2021 Crash Facts report published by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles in August 2022 found that 12.7% of all pedestrians involved in motor vehicle crashes were killed. That accounted for 269 pedestrian deaths, a 5.2% increase from 2020. Distracted behaviors, such as texting while driving or walking, were reported as factors in at least 17.9% of crashes.
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For information, or to talk with participants at another time, contact Jill Warren Lucas at 919-218-0044. On Tuesday, contact OSHR Digital Communications Specialist Devon McGarvey at 919-219-8249 or Devon.McGarvey@nc.gov.