Statewide, deaths on the highway nearly tripled over the Memorial Day weekend from 2012. Locally, however, no one lost their lives driving over the holiday, although a Kinston motorcyclist died in a Myrtle Beach, S.C., accident.
The N.C. Highway Patrol announced a preliminary number of 13 motorists who were killed in the period from 6 p.m.on Friday until midnight Monday. There were 360 injury-related collisions over the holiday.
In 2012, only five motorists died.
Among the 13 motorists who lost their lives over the weekend in North Carolina was one on N.C. 42 about 5 miles east of Wilson and one on State Road 1750 7.2 miles south of Greenville.
Kinston Department of Public Safety spokesman Woody Spencer credited area drivers for their good driving over the holiday.
“The folks around Kinstonand LenoirCountyheeded the warnings of being careful and not to drive after drinking,” Spencer said. “I think they did a good job.”
While roads in Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties were relatively quiet, 47-year-old Nathaniel Carlisle of Kinston died in Myrtle Beach during Bike Week. According to an Associated Press report, Carlisleand his passenger, Victoria Locklear, 48, of Fayetteville, were pronounced dead at the scene of an accident in which Carlisle’s Kawasakimotorcycle hit the passenger side of a Cadillac SUV on 29th Avenue Northin Myrtle Beach.
The SUV was attempting to turn left onto Grissom Parkway when the accident occurred. The driver and passengers of the SUV were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Highway Patrol was kept busy during the holiday as it instituted the “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive” program in concert with the Division of Law Enforcement Wildlife Resources Commission and the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division.
As a result of the campaign, 285 driving while impaired tickets were issued, along with 1,300 seatbelt violations, 550 equipment violations, 1,310 driver license violations and 33 drug violations throughout the state. In all, 8,177 tickets were issued by the Highway Patrol over the holiday.
The Wildlife Resources Commission issued 25 operating a boat while impaired tickets and 1,307 tickets in the weekend, while ALE officers arrested seven for violations and issued five under age possession of spirituous liquor tickets.
The local Kinston barracks of the Highway Patrol did not have the Memorial Day numbers ready by press time.
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at BCHanks.
Memorial Day weekend fatalities on N.C. roadways:
- N.C. 42 (4.49 miles east of Wilson)
- State Road1401 (2.8 miles west of Bolivia)
- N.C. 226 (3 miles south of Marion)
- I-40 (5.7 miles north of Wilmington)
- SR 2217 (1.7 miles east of Asheboro)
- SR 1400 (6.4 miles south of Vanceboro)
- SR 1624 (2.3 miles west of Hamlet)
- SR 1750 (7.2 miles south of Greenville)
- SR 1413 (5 miles east of Littleton)
- U.S. 64 (2 miles south of Knightdale)*
- SR 1201 (19.1 miles west from Lillington)
- SR 1130 (5.6 miles north of HoldenBeach)
*Two fatalities in one accident
Source: N.C. Highway Patrol