ONLY ON 3: Crashes increase, fatalities decrease on Hwy. 17 in Pender Co.

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Highway Patrol says Pender County saw more accidents on Highway 17 this year, but the types of crashes are different.

For many drivers, Highway 17 in Pender County is just a route in or out of Wilmington, but for some, that stretch of road is where they live.

“Sometimes people on 17 aren’t paying a lot of attention,” resident Jimmy Moody said.

Highway 17 is the only way out of Jimmy Moody’s neighborhood.

“It’s just a dangerous intersection,” Moody said.

Up the road, at Danny’s Pawn Shop, Assistant Manager Scott Shankle sees the concerns from the window.

“People speeding mostly,” Shankle said.

In 2014, the Highway Patrol said there were 244 crashes on this stretch. Troopers said six of them were fatal. So far this year, 267 collisions but only one fatality. Shankle said that is still hard to hear.

“Absolutely hard to hear,” Shankle said. “You never know when it’s going to be one of your family members or a friend or one of their family members.”

Sergeant M.L. Collier said this year, troopers have been working with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office to increase their presence here including more speed projects, and this summer, a DWI check.

Shankle said they need more transportation projects.

“The vehicles got to go somewhere and that’s the only place they can go is up and down that route,” Shankle said.

That’s why Shankle and Moody are pushing for the Hampstead Bypass, a light at factory road, or anything that could fix a shared concerned.

“People’s lives,” Moody said.

For now, Shankle said every day is a risk.

“You got to be careful,” Shankle said. “You’ve got to pay attention.”

Pender County commissioners also talked about rumble strips in certain places on Highway 17 this year, but all of these transportation projects are just proposals.