ROAD SAFETY ANAYLSIS
North Carolina Road Safety Analysis
Behavioral Insights Powered by StreetVision
The following road safety report evaluates road risk events in North Carolina from December 2025 through February 2026. It examines phone distraction rates, intersection-level hard braking activity, and corridor-level speeding patterns to determine where risk is most concentrated.
The report leverages insights from CMT’s StreetVision, an AI-powered behavioral analytics platform that provides decision-ready insights into roadway risk before crashes occur. Transportation officials use StreetVision to identify hotspots, prioritize high-impact safety interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures.
Here is a snapshot of our findings — covering distraction benchmarking, county-level concentration analysis, high-risk intersection identification, and corridor speeding patterns.
01 PHONE DISTRACTION
Monthly distraction rates: A comparison to the national benchmark
In December 2025, drivers in North Carolina recorded 23.82 phone tapping events per 100 miles driven, compared to the national average of 23.7, placing the state just slightly above the nation average.
In January, the rate was 24.2, a 1.6% increase from the prior month, and 2.8% above the national average.
By February, phone tapping increased to 24.51 events per 100 miles, marking a 1.3% increase from January. It was 1.9% higher than the US average.
phone tapping events per 100 miles
02 COUNTY ANALYSIS
County-level insights reveal concentrated rates of distracted driving
Across the three-month period, North Carolina averaged 24.18 phone-tapping events per 100 miles, though county-level data shows wide variation around that benchmark.
The most distracted counties, led by Pasquotak, Pitt, and Hertford, recorded distraction rates roughly 17% to more than 38% above the state average, highlighting concentrated pockets of elevated risk.
In contrast, the least distracted counties, led by Cherokee, Polk, and Madison, reported rates about 25% to 30% below the statewide average, underscoring a clear regional divide in driver behavior.
phone tapping events per 100 miles
Highest Distraction
Pasquotank County
33.3
+37.7%Pitt County
30.5
+26.2%Hertford County
29.7
+22.9%Cumberland County
28.9
+19.5%Mecklenburg County
28.3
+17%Lowest Distraction
Cherokee County
17
−29.7%Polk County
17.1
−29.3%Madison County
17.7
−26.8%Chatham County
17.7
−26.8%Haywood County
18
−25.6%
03 HARD BRAKING
High risk intersections: Where hard braking signals elevated crash risk
Intersections account for roughly 25% of all US traffic deaths and 50% of all traffic injuries. Hard braking often signals near-miss events, making it a leading indicator of elevated crash risk.
An analysis of Mecklenburg intersections found the intersection of West Boulevard & West Worthington Ave to be a high-risk hotspot, with 566 hard braking events per 100 miles driven.
highest risk
West Boulevard & West Worthington Ave
566
hard braking events / 100 mi
other high risk intersections in North carolina
Hard Braking Events per 100 miles
Locations with persistently high hard braking activity are widely recognized as candidates for proactive intervention — where targeted engineering improvements, enforcement visibility, or behavioral countermeasures may reduce crash risk before crashes occur.
04 SPEEDING PATTERNS
When & Where Speeding Risk Peaks
Speeding behavior in North Carolina follows identifiable time-of-day and corridor-level patterns, creating predictable windows of elevated risk.
On the Plaza Road Extension in Charlotte, North Carolina (35 mph), speeding peaks on Mondays at 2:00 a.m., when 52% of driving time exceeds the limit by at least 10 mph. Another notable spike occurs on Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m., when over 29% of travel is above the posted speed.
CORRIDOR ANALYSIS
Plaza Road Extension
Posted speed limit: 35 mph
Mondays: 2:00 AM
52%
of driving time exceeds the posted speed limit
Saturdays: 8:00 AM
29%
of travel is above posted speed
These patterns provide actionable intelligence for speed studies, high-visibility enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and resource allocation decisions.
05 SCHOOL ZONES
How fast are drivers going in school zones?
We analyzed speed distribution in the school zone at Denton Elementary School on West Salisbury Street in Denton, North Carolina, focusing on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Our analysis found that 36% of drivers exceed the 25 mph limit during these hours.
Understanding how frequently speeding occurs during school hours helps traffic engineers determine whether stronger safety measures are needed to better protect vulnerable road users.
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