According to data from the NC Vision Zero program, there were approximately 5,000 fatal and/or serious injury traffic crashes in the seven-county Central Pines region within the five year period from 2020 to 2024, for an average of about 1,000 each year. The injuries and deaths caused by these crashes cause a heavy toll on the health and well-being of our region's residents and visitors.
In 2024, Central Pines Regional Council began work on a project to provide tools for communities in the Central Pines region to engage in planning around the topic of roadway safety. As part of this project, CPRC is working with two communities in the region to develop pilot-case Safety Action Plans (one in a more rural setting and one in a more urban/suburban setting), creating a regional online data dashboard of severe and fatal crash data, and creating template documents, maps, and instructions for other communities within the region that wish to engage in similar types of planning. This work is being funded through the Federal Highway Administration's "Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)" program.
As we approach the end of 2025, work on the project is beginning to wrap up. The two pilot case study Safety Action Plans are nearing completion, and we are working to finalize the templates, data tools, and other resources other jurisdictions in the region can use to create similar plans.
As work progresses on the project, more materials will be posted on this website as they become available.
As a statement of our organizational commitment to improving transportation safety, the Central Pines Regional Council Board of Delegates adopted a Resolution in Support of Transportation Safety Action Plans in the Central Pines Region on October 22, 2025.
Pilot Case Studies
For more information on the two pilot plan communities, click on the expandable sections below. These plans were developed both to serve as actionable plans for the communities involved and to serve as examples for other communities to follow.
The Town of Morrisville has developed a Safety Action Plan that analyzes traffic safety data and provides the Town with a strategic and actionable set of recommendations to improve road safety in the town for all types of road users.
Over the summer and fall of 2025, we gathered input from the community through a variety of events, surveys, and online feedback opportunities. Your input has been a critical component of our planning process and we appreciate your participation!
The Safety Action Plan was adopted by the Morrisville Town Council on October 14, 2025.
Plan Document - Morrisville in Motion: A Safety Action Plan
Presentation to Town Council - PowerPoint Slides
The City of Sanford, Town of Broadway, and Lee County are collaboratively working to develop a Safety Action Plan for Lee County that will analyze traffic safety data and provide the community with a strategic and actionable set of recommendations to improve road safety for all types of road users.
Please visit the project website for the Lee County Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. A Spanish-language version of the project website is also available.
Input from the Sanford-Broadway-Lee County community is a critical component of the planning process and we appreciate your participation in our plan development!
At this stage in the process, we have completed the plan development process and are preparing to present the plan for adoption by the Sanford City Council, Broadway Town Board, and Lee County Board of Commissioners in December 2025.
Draft Plan Document (Nov 2025 Draft) - Lee County Safety Action Plan
Presentation to City/Town Council and County Commissioners - PowerPoint Slides (to be posted)
Templates and Resources
The following sections contain links to the document templates, instructions, safety data dashboard and other resources for communities in the Central Pines region to use in developing their own safety action plans, as well as links to other external resources.
Central Pines Regional Council is working to develop a number of tools and resources for communities within our region to use in developing their own transportation safety action plans. These materials are still in development, but should be available on this website by the end of 2025. Check back in the future for more information!
Some of the materials in development include:
- A mapping tool for identifying high-injury-crash locations/corridors in your community
- Templates and guidance for the creation of local safety plans
- Lessons learned from the pilot case studies
We are still in the process of developing our final data tool for this project, but an initial prototype of the tool can be accessed below in the meantime. Check back by the end of 2025 for the final product!
As part of the project development process, we have also developed a few materials and resources specifically about CPRC's Safe Streets for All project. These can be found below: