Fewer people are dying on Robeson County roadways, according to preliminary data that saw the number of traffic deaths decrease by 36% last year.

A total of 42 people died in vehicle crashes in the county during 2024, compared with 66 deaths in the previous year. In 2021, the number who died was 69.

The figures were released this week by the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Mobility & Safety Division. There were 38% fewer deadly crashes in Robeson County last year, too.

Grady Hunt, who is the area representative on the N.C. Board of Transportation, formed the Robeson County Vision Zero task force in 2018 to help improve highway safety and driver behavior; the long-term goal is to have no traffic deaths, because they are largely preventable.

“This has been a tremendous turnaround, thanks to the collective efforts of so many of our partners and the people working on our task force,” Hunt said recently of the crash reductions in a press release. “But, we still have more work to do.”

State Traffic Engineer Brian Mayhew said officials were still evaluating the recent trends and decrease last year. But, he said, two areas within the data stand out:

For a third year in a row, the number of fatal crashes that can be attributed to speeding declined to 21% last year. It was 29% in 2023, and 37%  in 2022.

For a third consecutive year, the number of people who died in crashes while not wearing a seat belt dropped to 14 last year. It was 24 in 2023, and 30 such deaths in 2022.

“This is a positive trend,” Mayhew said in a press release. “We understand drivers sometimes make mistakes, but we do not want those mistakes to become deadly, so we are so pleased more members of the community are wearing seat belts and being cautious.”

In recent years, NCDOT has installed numerous all-way stops and built roundabouts where they were  needed. Mayhew said these roadway changes are making a difference in safety.

The task force has sought out various initiatives. In 2019, the task force helped re-establish safety-education classes for people ticketed for seat-belt violations. The local district attorney waives the fine, if first-time violators complete a free, two-hour course, which is now offered through Robeson County Parks and Recreation.

More recently, NCDOT has partnered with the task force to begin developing a Robeson County highway safety action plan. A team crisscrossed the county last year to gather input from various stakeholders and agencies. The task force plans to receive an update at the next scheduled meeting on March 27. A final report for the safety action plan is expected to be completed later this year.