Zone safety campaign a success
By John Joyce
Published in News on April 29, 2015 1:46 PM
Zero fatalities were recorded during the recent N.C. State Highway Patrol's Operation: Drive to Live school zone safety campaign.
The week-long education and enforcement campaign was, by all accounts, a success.
"We didn't have any passed stop school buses, we were visible in school areas. Overall, I would say it was very successful," First Sgt. Jerry Burton said.
Drive to Live is an annual campaign scheduled during prom season to encourage teenage drivers to think twice about driving safety.
In 2014 alone, the highway patrol investigated 48,711 motor vehicle collisions involving teens between the ages of 15 and 19. Of those, 113 were fatal.
Across the state, 566 schools were patrolled and 124 traffic safety education programs were given.
Of the 2,305 seat belt violations cited statewide, only 3 took place in Wayne County.
"We had seven warnings issued, one child safety seat violation, 26 speeding tickets, three driving while license revoked, one no driver's license and 24 other," Burton said.
The state also recorded 48 graduated driver's license violations, which Burton also explained.
"That is when a child has, well, they call them 'after 9s,'" he said.
When a minor with a driver's license that has restrictions on it including no driving after 9 p.m. or that they have to have at least one passenger, and the commit a violation, that is what those violations are referred to as, Burton said.