The Traffic Safety Unit operates under the Transportation Mobility and Safety Division of the N.C. Department of Transportation. The unit manages state and federal engineering and data programs related to traffic safety, and its staff serve as NCDOT's experts in analysis and understanding of safety data.
The Traffic Safety Unit consists of a central office in Garner as well as regional field offices throughout the state.
Central Office
The Traffic Safety Unit central office serves as a source of data and analysis to support safety project development and safety related decisions across the state. Central office staff provide crash data to cities, counties, metropolitan and rural planning organizations, other public agencies, researchers, and the general public. The central office consists of three main groups who provide data analysis for a variety of purposes:
- Highway Safety Improvement Program Group – identifies locations for safety improvements;
- Safety Evaluation Group – evaluates the effectiveness of safety improvements;
- Safety Planning Group – provides safety analysis for future projects.
Safety Regions
The regional field office staff work with NCDOT divisions and local agencies to plan and implement projects to improve transportation safety and mobility in their area. Regional staff conduct field investigations to identify traffic safety issues on roads and intersections in their region. They assist as needed to support citizen requests, municipal priorities, and project development, such as for the State Transportation Improvement Program.
Regional staff also:
- Develop low cost projects that improve mobility by reducing congestion and delay.
- Investigate locations for pedestrian safety and make recommendations for projects to address pedestrian safety issues.
- Serve as local representatives for the NCDOT Mobility and Safety Division in the communities that they serve.
- Review project plans and provide recommendations on traffic signals, roadway improvements, pavement marking, signing, and traffic control plans.
- Conduct field investigations and safety analyses to identify countermeasures and develop safety projects for NCDOT programs including, the Highway Safety Improvement and Fatal Crash programs.
- Review speed limits on secondary roads as part of the NCDOT Secondary Road Safety Program.