North Carolina Safety Campaign Nabs 13K Speeding Drivers

The Governor’s Highway Safety Program says state and local police across North Carolina caught nearly 13,500 lead-footed drivers during a weeklong effort to reduce speeding.

Program director Becky Wallace said Thursday that police recorded more than 39,000 traffic and criminal citations because of the stepped-up patrols during Easter Week.

Nearly 10 percent of the speeding citations were handed out in Wake County, which led the state with more than 1,200. Wake was followed by Mecklenburg, Guilford, Onslow and Forsyth counties.

During a similar campaign last year, police cited roughly 12,500 drivers for speeding.

In 2011, there were 428 speed-related traffic fatalities on North Carolina roads, including 412 in which victims were not wearing their seat belts.