RALEIGH, N.C. — The United States is experiencing a 16-year high in roadway deaths, according to NC Families for Safe Streets. Last year alone, data shows 1,784 people were killed on the roads in North Carolina, and 16% of them were walking or biking.
On Nov. 19, shoes were laid out in front of the state capitol for a service honoring all of the people who died in the last year on state roadways. Sylvia Wiggins spoke at the ceremony, remembering her niece Samantha Briggs, 12, who died last year while crossing the street. Briggs died just one day after her 12th birthday.
“Somebody call, say, your niece just got hit. And it was just howling and screaming in the background. And then three minutes later, you know, they told me she didn’t make it,” Wiggins said.
This 16-year high for roadway deaths also highlights a disparity. A study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine shows Black people have a walking death rate 118% higher than white people.
Wiggins says the infrastructure can lead to some change.
“So many people use a bicycle for major transportation. You know, they own bikes because they can’t do no better,” Wiggins said. “You know, sometimes the bus don’t go by so far, the depot, they need a support system.”
Raleigh police did charge two people in Briggs’ hit and run death earlier this year.