Every year, more than 2,400 pedestrians and 960 bicyclists are hit by cars on North Carolina streets. These figures make the state one of the least safe for walking and bicycling in the nation, according to the Watch for Me NC program. Worse, the program reports about 160 pedestrians and 20 bicyclists are, on average, killed each year in North Carolina.

Watch for Me NC, run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in partnership with local communities, is aimed at reducing the number of pedestrians and bicyclists hit and injured in crashes with vehicles.

The campaign involves two key elements: 1) safety and educational messages directed toward drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, and 2) enforcement efforts by area police to crack down on some of the violations of traffic safety laws

Local programs are typically led by municipal, county or regional government staff with involvement of many others, including pedestrian and bicycle advocates, city planners, law enforcement agencies, engineers, public health professionals, school administrators and others.

Participating communities

NCDOT received applications earlier this year from areas interested in implementing Watch for Me NC programs, and recently announced its new partner communities. They are:

• Asheville
• Charlotte
• Corolla
• Davidson
• Granville County (including Butner, Creedmoor and Oxford)
• Jacksonville
• Marion
• Murphy
• Surf City

These existing partners will continue to work with Watch for Me NC:

• Boone/Appalachian State University
• Carrboro
• Cary
• Chapel Hill/UNC Chapel Hill
• Dare County – Outer Banks communities
• Durham/Duke/N.C. Central University
• Greensboro/UNC-G and NCA&T
• Greenville/ Pitt County
• Raleigh/NC State University

As campaign partners, communities receive printed materials and media advertisements to help improve public awareness. Partner communities also participate in specialized police officer enforcement training. The UNC Highway Safety Research Center will continue to provide technical support with campaign implementation.