By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
Granite Quarry is one of 15 towns and cities in North Carolina which will be recognized today as a Traffic Safe Community.
AAA Carolinas’ Foundation for Traffic Safety will recognize the winning communities at a luncheon today at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham.
The 15 municipalities are being recognized for leadership in traffic safety over three population categories.
Granite Quarry, Topsail Beach, Littleton, Marion and Highlands are being honored in the category of towns with populations of 10,000 or less.
Winners in municipalities of 10,000 to 30,000 population are Wake Forest, Kinston, Kings Mountain, Henderson and Pinehurst; and more than 30,000 population, Wilson, Huntersville, Apex, Cary and High Point.
One town or city in each category will be named Traffic Safety Community of the Year, based on crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita, presence of a formal traffic safety program and existence of a special traffic division.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis.
“North Carolina had more than 1,400 deaths on the roads in 2008,” said Tom Crosby, president of AAA Carolinas’ Traffic Safety Foundation. “We want to recognize communities that work hard and are successful in reducing traffic crashes.”