by Leah Justice

As of the end of May 2014, two people had died as the result of car crashes on Polk County roads, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
The 2014 data is compared to five fatalities on Polk roads in 2013 and six fatalities in 2012.
From Jan. 1-May 31, 2014, there were 126 total crashes on Polk’s roads, resulting in 60 injuries. The first five months of the year compare to a total of 380 total crashes and 186 injuries in 2013, according to the NCDOT report.
Crashes, injuries and fatalities on Polk County roads have varied since 2000. The most crashes over the last 14 years occurred in 2010 with 445 crashes and one fatality. The most fatalities since 2000 occurred in 2008 with a total of nine people being killed on Polk’s roads, according to the NCDOT. In 2008 there were a total of 431 crashes with 182 injuries.
The least amount of fatalities reported on Polk’s roads over the last 14 years occurred in 2000 when no one was killed as the result of a crash. There were 349 crashes in 2000 resulting in 227 injuries.
There was one person killed on Polk’s roads in 2001, 2004 and 2010 (see chart for full report).
Statewide from January through May this year there have been a total of 101,646 total crashes statewide, resulting in 421 fatalities and 42,506 total injuries, according to the NCDOT report.

Year Crashes Fatalities Injuries
2000 349 0 227
2001 362 1 189
2002 349 7 221
2003 350 3 187
2004 383 1 190
2005 357 2 198
2006 338 2 148
2007 395 3 236
2008 431 9 182
2009 388 2 158
2010 445 1 182
2011 390 5 165
2012 398 6 134
2013 380 5 156
2014* 126 2 60

*Note: 2014 data was recorded from Jan. 1-May 31, 2014, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.