Skip to content
The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
  • Schools
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • Mill
  • Flora
  • Print Archive
  • About
Menu

Pedestrian deaths have many concerned

Posted on May 23, 2008 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Last week, a young woman died after she was hit by a bus while jogging on the UNC campus. Then on Saturday, another woman died after a car hit her while she was crossing Weaver Dairy Road.

And in April, a man died after he was struck by a Town of Chapel Hill vehicle near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hillsborough Street.
Lisa Carolyn Moran, 20, of Scotland, was hit by a Chapel Hill Transit bus on Manning Drive near South Columbia Street on May 15. She was an exchange student at UNC.

According to the Chapel Hill Police Department, Moran “was found to have contributed to the collision by failing to yield to traffic.” Police investigations concluded that she lost her footing and slid under the bus.

Moran was listening to an iPod at the time of the accident and there was no designated crosswalk at the point of impact, according to police. She was brought to UNC Hospitals, where she later died.

Barbara Boone Sims, 38, was hit by a car on Weaver Dairy Road at the intersection of Perkins Drive around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday. According to police, Sims was homeless. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Police believe that when Sims was hit, she was trying to cross Weaver Dairy Road in an area that is not a designated crosswalk.

The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating the accident and asks anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Lt. Chuck Quinlan at 968-2760 or cquinlan@townofchapelhill.org.

On April 27, Clifton Walker Steed, 63, of Chapel Hill, was hit by a Chapel Hill Transit vehicle near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hillsborough Street around 8:40 p.m. Steed later died at UNC Hospitals.

According to Chapel Hill Police, Steed stepped into the roadway while the driver had a green light and, because it was dark and rainy, the driver did not have an opportunity to see him in time to stop.

Pedestrian accident trends

According to the Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) at UNC, there were 164 pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents in Chapel Hill and Carrboro from 2001 to 2005. Of these accidents, two were fatal.

The majority of these accidents occurred in Chapel Hill, with less than 30 in Carrboro.

“We see some differences in Chapel Hill because of the student population,” said Libby Thomas, a research associate with HSRC.

According to Thomas, a variety of factors contribute to the rate of fatality in pedestrian accidents.

“There’s a lot of randomness to pedestrian crashes, in particular fatalities,” she said. Fatalities occur disproportionately in nighttime crashes, accidents involving alcohol and accidents involving older victims, Thomas said.

HSRC recommends that pedestrians wear reflective clothing or materials at night.

“Just wearing white or bright colors may not be enough to help you be seen,” Thomas said.

According to HSRC, more than 40 percent of pedestrian accidents in Chapel Hill and Carrboro between 2001 and 2005 occurred at intersections.

Avoiding Accidents

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections, driveways and crosswalks, but must act responsibly and use pedestrian signals where available.

If pedestrians walk against the signal, they are in violation, according to Captain J.G. Booker with the Carrboro Police Department. However, once a pedestrian is in the roadway, the driver must yield under all circumstances, Booker said.

Under North Carolina law, drivers must yield the right of way to pedestrians crossing roadways within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at or near an intersection.

In addition, pedestrians have  the right of way when approaching an alley, building entrance, private road or driveway from any sidewalk or walkway.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Information Center provides safety tips for both pedestrians and drivers. The center recommends that pedestrians:

  • carry a flashlight when walking at night;
  • cross in well-lit areas;
  • always walk on sidewalks or facing traffic if there is no sidewalk;
  • avoid walking while impaired;
  • don’t assume vehicles will stop; and
  • obey traffic signals.

Booker recommends that walkers and joggers avoid talking on cell phones or listening to headphones.

“From a personal safety standpoint, it’s just not a good practice,” he said.

For more pedestrian and driver safety tips, visit www.walkinginfo.org/why/tips_walking-safely.cfm.

Web Archive

© 2025 The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme