Orange County NC Website
Orange County Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis | 8 <br /> <br />large number of drivers were also driving at a speed of less than 40 mph. Only one driver was traveling <br />between 61-65 mph, at least according to this estimated data. <br />As indicated earlier, traveling at higher speeds increases the likelihood of a serious or fatal injury in the <br />event of a bicycle-motor vehicle crash. The three crashes that resulted in a bicyclist fatality involved <br />vehicles traveling at speeds greater than 50 mph. With this in mind, speed enforcement in rural Orange <br />County may be a successful method of reducing crash severities. <br />Driver Vehicle Type <br />Likely in proportion to the types of vehicles on the road, the vehicle types involved in crashes are <br />skewed toward passenger cars, though significant numbers of other vehicle types, including sport utility <br />vehicles, pickups, and vans, are <br />also represented in the crash <br />data. <br />Hit and Run Statistics <br />Of the bicycle-motor vehicle <br />crashes that occurred in rural <br />Orange County, eight (8) or 23.5 <br />percent were hit and run <br />crashes, while the remaining 26 <br />crashes, or 76.5 percent, of <br />drivers remained on the scene. <br />Crash Map <br />Using the data provided by NCDOT, Orange County Transportation Planning staff prepared a map of all <br />bicycle crashes occurring in rural Orange County. Crashes that resulted in a fatality are indicated in red <br />and all other crashes are displayed using yellow. One fatality occurred on NC 54 at Hatch Road, one <br />occurred on Pleasant Green Road just south of St Marys Road, and the other occurred on NC 751 at US <br />70. Green circles around the crash locations indicate that those crashes involved a bicyclist under the <br />influence of alcohol. <br />Using the Kernel Density tool in ArcGIS, the clustering of crash points was calculated and mapped using <br />red, blue, and yellow to emphasize high, medium, and low levels of clustering, respectively. As expected, <br />one major cluster of bicycle crashes is located to the west of Carrboro; this area is very popular with <br />recreational riders and rides originating in Carrboro often terminate at Mapleview Dairy, which lies just <br />outside the crash cluster. More surprising is the large crash cluster between the Town of Hillsborough <br />and the City of Durham, which encompasses areas of the Eno River State Park, the confluence of three <br />highways (US 70, US 70A, and NC 751), and a favored bicycle route, Old State Highway 10. Thirteen (13) <br />of 34 crashes in the entire rural area of the County can be found in this area, making it a particularly <br />dangerous area for bicyclists. <br /> <br />0 <br />5 <br />10 <br />15 <br />14, 41.2% <br />6, 17.6% 5, 14.7% 3, 8.8% 6, 17.6% <br />Vehicle Type <br /> 48