14 Traffic Fatalities in Nine Day Span in Triad Area

Law enforcement officials in the Triad are urging motorists to drive safely after 14 people were killed in traffic accidents during a nine-day stretch in November.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports members of local police departments held a news conference Friday to draw attention to the deaths, which occurred around the Thanksgiving holiday. Of the 14 deaths, nine of the victims were between the ages of 12 and 20.

Officials said many of the fatal accidents had several things in common – speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and people not wearing their seatbelts.

Don Nail, director of the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, said it is discouraging that there have been so many fatalities, especially among young people, in such a short time.