THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 28, 1995 TAG: 9511280295
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WANCHESE LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
For some 4,000 motorists who drive each day on the winding gray ribbon known as N.C. Route 345, the road is a link between this picturesque fishing village and the rest of Dare County.
But the two-lane highway that ties Wanchese to the rest of the world can also be dangerous, particularly in a winding portion that locals call ``Dead Man's Curve.''
Earlier this month, an accident at that curve claimed the life of a 7-year-old Wanchese boy and left five other people injured. The accident was the second fatal wreck in six months on the roadway.
As a result of the recent fatalities, North Carolina Department of Transportation officials are considering possible steps to make the road safer.
``We took a convoy of engineers from U.S. 64 to the village just to look at the road,'' said Don Conner, division engineer for NCDOT.``We're looking at some different scenarios, dealing with widening the shoulders or changing the super elevation of the curves, or straightening the curves themselves. But right now, we don't know what those scenarios will cost.''
Super-elevation refers to how the curve is banked, and the amount of slope on a curve. Conner said the plans being considered to make the road safer could cost between $300,000 and $1 million.
Widening the shoulders or changing the banking of the curves seem the most likely avenues for improvements to N.C. Route 345. Because of nearby wetlands, Conner said, the straightening of the curves may be cost-prohibitive. But estimates on the cost of each option should be in later this week, Conner said.
Conner said that while the Wanchese Road is not the area's most winding road, the high traffic volume puts motorists at a higher risk.
``N.C. 34 in Pasquotank County is the curviest road in the district,'' Conner said. ``But N.C. 345 is the only way in and out of the village, so the traffic volume is higher. The only way to determine whether or not a road is dangerous is to compare rates. But the fact that there have been two fatalities in the last six months is something we've considered.''
The state maintains computer records of traffic accidents through the North Carolina Crash Database.In a period from 1987 to Sept. 30, 1995, the analysis showed:
Ninety-three traffic accidents on N.C. Route 345 were reported to law enforcement authorities during the period. In those accidents two people were killed and 67 others were injured.
Of the accidents, more than one-quarter occurred at night, and 30 accidents occurred in wet conditions. Ten collisions - nearly 11 percent of accidents reported - involved the use of alcohol.
More than half of the collisions on the road involved vehicles running off the road, or rear-end collisions. Fifty five of the 93 incidents were of this type.
Not surprisingly, July and August are the most dangerous months to travel on N.C. Route 345. Nearly one-third of all accidents on the road occur during those months, the traditional peak of the tourist season. October was third on the list.
Of the accidents, 18.3 percent occurred on Tuesdays. But, as expected, nearly 39 percent of collisions occurred on the weekend. Fifteen percent of accidents occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. And nearly 10 percent occur between 6 and 7 p.m.
James K. Lacy, a traffic engineer for NCDOT, said the frequency of accidents on N.C. Route 345 was less than the statewide average.
``Based on the fact that there have been 93 accidents over the last eight years, you'd have to say that there are roads and highways around the state that are more dangerous than N.C. 345,'' Lacy said. ``But the fact that there have been two fatal crashes there in the last six months, that may mean that the road is more dangerous. It depends on what your definition of dangerous is.''
Lacy said that most of the wrecks on N.C. 345 can be attributed to correctable driver error. The root cause of those sometimes fatal mistakes?
``They say that speed kills,'' Lacy said. ``There's probably not a truer statement around than that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by DREW C. WILSON/ The Virginian-Pilot
Markers denote the site of a fatal accident on N.C. Route 345 north
of Wanchese. So many have died or been hurt on the road that the
state is looking to improve it. Widening the shoulders or changing
the banking of the curves seem the most likely avenues for
improvement.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC by CNB