Greenville Traffic Safety Task Force nationally awarded

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Greenville’s Traffic Safety Task Force was recognized nationally this year for their efforts in improving traffic and pedestrian safety.

It has been no secret that Greenville is notorious for traffic accidents, which is why the Traffic Safety Task Force has been constantly working to improve roadways to make a safer city for all.

This year their efforts were awarded on a national level, where they received the Peter K. O’Rourke special achievement award.

“It’s a very high level, prestigious conference that I attended in August and we were really really excited to receive along with two other agencies that are making major improvements in traffic safety,” Injury Prevention Program Coordinator, Ellen Walston said.

The task force identified and implemented solutions including high-visibility crosswalks, traffic delineators, and increased enforcement in crash-prone areas. The Greenville Traffic Safety Task Force also installed bollards, or vertical posts, which are used to guide left turns from middle lanes in busy areas.

The task force was honored for bringing together community organizations to create change, especially with Thanksgiving on the way, which according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is the deadliest day for crashes.

“This is a time where there are a lot of people on the road and we have different campaigns and efforts to really focus on speed, speed is one of the top causes for fatalities in crashes and we want to make sure our officers are enforcing the laws,” Walston said.

In 2021, Greenville moved from the number one ranking for crashes in the state to the number seven slot. In 2022, Greenville fell to number eight. However, the task force is still at work.

“We’ll continue to meet, we will continue to look at data, we will continue to look at the roadways, and our enforcement in areas that we have a lot of crashes,” Greenville Police Department Deputy Chief Chris Ivey said.

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