With crashes on the rise, Wilmington officials urge vigilance from drivers and pedestrians

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization says the greater Wilmington area is one of the most dangerous regions in North Carolina to bike and walk.  

We’ve recently seen an increase in pedestrian-involved collisions in Wilmington. 

“Work smarter not harder, walk smarter not harder, drive smarter not harder,” Lt. Greg Willett with the Wilmington Police Department said. 

With the Wilmington area continuing to grow, Lt. Willett says it is important for everyone to remain vigilant on the roads to avoid a disaster. 

“Whether it’s the pedestrian or the driver, they thought they were clear but obviously they weren’t. So, it’s just like any other wreck, no one goes out there and intends to get into a wreck it’s because they overlooked something or they weren’t paying attention,” Lt. Willett said.  

Within the Wilmington metropolitan planning organization boundary, on average there are 72 pedestrian crashes and 57 cyclist crashes annually.  

With this in mind, Go Coast launched the Be a Looker campaign to educate and encourage safety.  

WMPO associate transportation planner Carolyn Caggia says everyone has a role to play. 

“We ascribe to the philosophy that road safety is everybody’s responsibility. There is something you can do no matter what mode of transportation you are using,” Caggia said. 

Some of those responsibilities… 

“Doing what you can do to stay visible and predictable and or driver’s doing what you can to watch for others and make the roadway safer for those biking and walking,” Caggia shared. 

For drivers, Caggia says it is important to obey traffic laws and not to drive distracted. 

“Driving distracted accounts for 18% of all collisions in NC, that’s including bicycle and pedestrian collisions,” Caggia informed us. 

Lt. Willett encourages pedestrians to use the crosswalks and sidewalks. 

“Pedestrians, we’re standing on a sidewalk right now, use the sidewalk. If there’s a sidewalk please be on the sidewalk, cars stay off the sidewalk. Walk against the flow of traffic. Even if you are walking on the sidewalk, walk against the flow of traffic,” Lt. Willett encouraged. 

If you’re walking or cycling, you should wear bright colored clothing to make yourself more visible and obey the walk and don’t walk signs. 

One of the future goals of Be a Looker is to get into schools. They also encourage people to head to their website and take the pledge to be a looker.