DOT details crash data statewide
While statewide vehicle fatalities have decreased significantly over the past few years, Polk County’s increased from one death in 2010 to five deaths in 2011.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) releases crash data and tracks it throughout the year statewide and by individual counties. The data includes the number of crashes, number of fatalities, number of injuries, vehicle miles traveled and crash, fatality and injury rates.
So far in 2012 (through February), the DOT has recorded 63 crashes in Polk County with no fatalities and 30 injuries, although Polk County had one death from a one-vehicle accident in Green Creek in April. (See chart above for Polk’s crash data since 2000.)
Statewide, crashes have seemed to remain constant since 2000, but fatalities have been on a steady decline, especially since 2007, according to the report.
There were 232,600 crashes in North Carolina in 2011 with 1,208 fatalities and 106,423 injuries. In 2010, there were 237,652 statewide crashes, with 1,323 total fatalities and 109,067 injuries.
In 2007, there were 241,947 crashes statewide with 1,702 fatalities and 120,093 injuries.
Polk County’s total crashes have also remained steady, with fatalities ranging from zero to nine in each year since 2000. Polk’s worst year for crashes since 2000 was 2010, when there were 445 wrecks. The 2010 crashes included one fatality and 182 injuries.
Polk’s worst year for fatalities since 2000 occurred in 2008, with nine total fatalities. 2008 was also the second worst year in total crashes, with 431 accidents resulting in 182 injuries, according to the report.
Polk County has only had one year in the past 12 years with no fatalities from crashes. That occurred in 2000, when there were 349 crashes with no fatalities and 227 injuries. Polk has had a few years with one fatality, which occurred in 2001, 2004 and 2010. There were seven fatalities from crashes in 2002, which was Polk’s second worst year for fatalities.

 

Polk County crash data
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    63    0    30
* Note: 2012 data is as of Feb. 29, 2012.
* Source: https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/dot/dashboard/safer.aspx