SANFORD, N.C. — Matthew “Matt” Day of the Central Pines Regional Council of Governments presented the Lee County Safety Action Plan at the Board of Commissioners’ Dec. 1 meeting, summarizing crash data and proposed strategies to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Day told the board the county’s 2019–2023 crash record showed roughly 8,600 total crashes and that those crashes resulted in about 65 fatalities and 135 serious injuries. "The goal for this plan was to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the rate of those fatal and serious injury crashes," Day said during the presentation. He described a systems approach that includes safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads, safer road users and improved post-crash care.

Why it matters: the plan identifies a "high‑injury network" — a smaller subset of roadways where crashes are concentrated — and says that network accounts for about 10% of roadway mileage but roughly 66% of locations with fatal or serious crashes in Lee County. Day cited priority corridors and intersections such as Tramway Road, Carthage Street, Avons Ferry Road and Pendergrass where recommended countermeasures include sidewalks, improved lighting, rumble strips, better signage and marked crosswalks; he also referenced longer-term options such as roundabouts at specific intersections.

Day summarized vulnerable road‑user crashes in the county and noted limitations in the crash data for socioeconomic detail; he said about 27% of the county’s area accounted for 42% of crashes, pointing to a higher crash concentration in transportation‑disadvantaged areas. "We heard that visibility, lack of sidewalks and distracted driving were recurring public concerns," Day said, citing public input collected via open houses, pop-up events, an online survey and an interactive map.

On funding and implementation, Day identified the federal Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant, NCDOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program and federal Surface Transportation grant programs as potential sources of implementation dollars. He advised that projects on state‑maintained roads would likely require coordination with NCDOT Division 8 and the Regional Planning Organization (RPO) and noted Central Pines is preparing template documents and a data website to help communities pursue projects.

The board opened a public hearing on the plan but recorded no members of the public wishing to speak; the chair closed the hearing. A resolution to adopt the plan was scheduled for the board’s Dec. 15 meeting.

The presentation and public hearing marked the latest step in the plan’s development; the county will continue to coordinate with the RPO, NCDOT Division 8 and Central Pines on next steps and potential grant applications.