NCDOT’s Post

Transcript

Hi everyone, I'm Veronica Newsome with this week's NCDOT Now. Roll up your sleeves and join NCDOT as we pick up roadside litter during the spring litter sweep starting this weekend. NCDOT is looking for volunteers to clear roadside debris throughout the state. If you'd like to participate, you can contact your local Litter Program Coordinator by visiting ncdot.gov slash Litter Sweep. Volunteers will be provided with cleanup supplies including orange safety vests, gloves and trash bags that can be picked up from local NCDOT County Maintenance Yard offices. The Litter Sweep begins April 12th and runs through April 26th. Over the past year, the Board of Transportation and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol have been dedicating bridges to fallen patrol members who haven't already been honored. The bridge on NC-125 over Interstate 95 in Roanoke Rapids was dedicated to Patrolman Ralph W. Arnold this week. Patrolman Arnold was involved in a motorcycle accident while on patrol in Roanoke Rapids and died on September 17, 1936, after serving the Halifax County area for seven years. He was 24 years old. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The North Carolina Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers to put away phones and other distractions while driving. Any activity that takes your focus off the road, including texting, calling or scrolling while driving, is dangerous for you and other drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 2018 and 2022, nearly 16,000 people died and around 1.8 million people were injured in distraction-affected crashes in the U.S. In 2023 and 2024, there was a total of 261 fatalities in distraction-related crashes in North Carolina. Remember to put the phone away and never drive distracted. That's all for this week's NCDOT Now. Safe travels!