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USA Today published this morning a newspaper investigation of fatal automobile wrecks involving teenagers. Sound familiar? Findings include:

1.) Along with their higher rate of involvement in fatal crashes, 16-year-olds make driving errors, exceed speed limits, run off roads and roll their vehicles over at higher rates than do older drivers involved in fatal crashes.

2.) Forty percent of 16-year-old drivers involved in deadly single-vehicle crashes in 2003 had one or more teen passengers. Teens' risk of dying nearly doubles with the addition of one male passenger...

3.) Teen drivers are three times as likely as drivers 20 and older to be involved in fatal crashes between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., the institute says, and 16-year-olds die at night at twice the rate as in the daytime. It's harder to see at night, so it's harder to react quickly to obstacles. Inexperienced drivers are more vulnerable to making errors after dark.

For what it's worth, my heart goes out to families of the four Southeast Guilford High School students involved in Saturday night's fatal wreck.

With all those orange barricades, driving along Guilford College Road kind of feels like that art exhibit in New York's Central Park.

And you're likely see more orange on the road as the widening continues.

The N.C. Board of Transportation will review bids Thursday to widen the final 1.4-mle section of the road, from Mackay Road to Wendover Avenue.

Continue reading "More orange for Guilford College Road"

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - More people than ever are driving under the influence of their cell phones, according to a survey released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The survey showed 8 percent of drivers, or 1.2 million people, were using hand-held or handsfree cell phones during daylight hours last year, a 50 percent increase since 2002 and a 100 percent rise in four years.

The Inman Road ramp along westbound Bryan Boulevard in Greensboro will close beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday.

A new ramp located east of the existing ramp will be opened.
The ramp changes are part of the Bryan Boulevard relocation being done for the construction of the FedEx hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

State transportation officials will also have to detour a segment of Old Oak Ridge Road as part of the work. That should take place sometime this spring.

The Washington Post reports on new technologies used to monitor kids' driving. For as little as $140, you, too, can make sure your 16-year-old keeps his hoof off the gas.

Money for bypass projects across the state has been stretched thin and the final sections of Greensboro's Urban Loop may be delayed.
Read "Budget may tangle Urban Loop"

That's right. The sea of orange construction barricades will continue along Guilford College Road.

Click here to find out more.

Driving along Business 85 is part of my daily commute.

I was worried the temporary closure of the Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop would mean I'd have to wake up earlier to make it work on time.

But despite an increase in traffic, my travels have been smooth sailing.

How's your commute been with the bypass closed?

They've been around North Carolina since 1968: personalized license plates that can put a smile on the weariest of faces.
Readers recently shared their favorites from the road.
Broker? BUY&HOLD
Real estate agent? ISOLDIT
Stressed? 8X A MOM
Feminist? GRLZRULE
But the popularity of vanity tags has taken a tumble during the past year.

Teenage drivers are dying far less frequently on North Carolina highways since a restricted licensing program for new drivers was implemented in 1997.

In fact, safety researchers say, fatalities among 16-year-old rookie drivers have dropped by 34 percent during that time.

But troopers with the Highway Patrol, like other law officers throughout the state, can cite chilling statistics of their own that show teenagers behind the wheel are still four times as likely as older drivers to become involved in deadly accidents. And every trooper has seen the up-close, grisly evidence of what high speeds and inexperience can produce on the roadway.

"You've got drivers from age 16 to 19 who haven't been made aware of just how dangerous driving is," said Trooper T.J. Carter, the investigating officer in an accident early last Sunday in southeast Greensboro that left two teenagers dead and injured two others, including 16-year-old driver Joshua Daniel Pearman.

Multiple Choice: You're approaching a busy intersection, the solid green light clear as day. Wanting to turn left, you...

a.) continue talking on your cell phone as you cut across the path of an oncoming Mack truck.
b.) creep into the middle of the intersection and wait for the light to turn red.
c.) dart across the intersection because you saw the Krispy Kreme "Hot Now" sign flicker on down the street.
d.) scratch your head at the blinking yellow left-turn arrow you've never seen before in your life.

Here's some information you probably don't need.

N.C. DOT has launched a new rest area Web site so you can plan your travel route and potty breaks before leaving home.

Apparently the signs along the side of the road weren't enough.

The Web site has a map of North Carolina's 62 rest areas with photos. Now what poor state worker got stuck with that job? Yuck.

Attention Triad motorists: Zip to the gas station and fill up now. Gasoline prices are rising and a further increase of up to 15 cents per gallon is expected by Memorial Day.

Such a jump would push prices past the frightful $2 per gallon mark at most stations. The average in the Triad on Tuesday was $1.90, according to AAA Carolinas, up 4 cents from Monday.

Highway Patrol continues its hunt for the driver who struck and killed Lyndon Peak late Wednesday night as the Summerfield man biked home from the Gas Town Service Center on U.S. 220. But Peak's death illustrates how easy it is for bicyclists to become victims... he'd been traveling south along the northbound shoulder. I plan to develop this topic in next week's print edition. For now, here're some basic reminders:

1.) Bikes are considered vehicles. Travel with the flow of traffic.
2.) When riding at night, wear reflective material.
3.) Always use a helmet.

And if you're the driver who hits a cyclist? STOP THE CAR AND HELP.

It happens an estimated 2,500 times every year. Children between the age of 1 and 14 suffer serious injury when passing behind a vehicle as the driver hits reverse.
They'll often run through a car's blind spot. Sometimes kids pedal their bicycles or tricycles into the path of the vehicle's rear tire.
And half of all victims haven't reached the age of 5.

For all you Greensboro drivers (courtesy GDOT):

The City of Greensboro will close a portion of Ballinger Road between Wakefield Drive and the entrance drive to Leonard Recreation Center. This closure will begin Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 9:00 a.m. and will be in place for approximately two days, weather permitting. The roadway will be open prior to the weekend.

Local traffic will be allowed within this closure limit. Through traffic should follow the signed detour route using New Garden Road, Friendly Avenue, and Stagecoach Trail. Entry to Leonard Recreation Center can be accessed on Ballinger Road from Stagecoach Trail. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Donald Arant or Keith Simpson by calling 336-373-2465.

Mother Nature threw a curveball at road crews Wednesday. The road will instead close early next week. Here's the updated GDOT release:

GREENSBORO - The City of Greensboro will close a portion of Ballinger Road between Wakefield Drive and the entrance drive to Leonard Recreation Center.
This closure will begin Monday, March 21, at 9 a.m. and will be in place for approximately two days, weather permitting.
Local traffic only will be allowed within this closure limit. Through traffic should follow the signed detour route using New Garden Road, Friendly Avenue, and Stagecoach Trail.
Access to Leonard Recreation Center can only be obtained on Ballinger Road from Stagecoach Trail. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Donald Arant or Keith Simpson by calling (336) 373-2465.

California authorities contemplate misdemeanor charges against pop singer Paula Abdul for leaving the scene of a December accident. (Registration required... sorry, folks). Abdul's Mercedes-Benz clipped another car while changing lanes on the 101 Freeway near Encino. It's Abdul's first hit in nearly a decade. And yes, Paula, you've been caught in a hit-and-run.

With warm weather in sight and astronomical gas prices that show no signs of returning to earth, don't be surprised to soon encounter greater numbers of Triad residents traveling places via pedals and handlebars.
Once you get done laughing at their spandex, keep in mind bicyclists possess the same road rights as buses, SUVs and tractor-trailers. But unlike motor vehicles, fender benders on a bike can spell disaster.
Look no further than last week's Summerfield tragedy.

Great scott! John DeLorean, who invented the car popularized by the "Back to the Future" trilogy, makes for that big auto factory in the sky.

Thanks to last week's last blast of winter, a final meeting on Greensboro's proposed Collector Street Plan was postponed.
The workshop has been rescheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Northeast Middle School.
Don't know what a collector street is? Click here to read the original story or visit GDOT's site.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a news conference tomorrow to provide more details about the reopening of the Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop. They also plan to provide an update on the next phase of construction of the Western Urban Loop.
Brad Wall, N.C. DOT's construction engineer for the Greensboro area, said last week the Southern Bypass should be open by Thursday morning's commute.
You may remember, the road was closed so N.C. DOT's contractor could construct two large bridges over Interstate 85 as part of construction of the Western Urban Loop.
More details to come tomorrow morning.

Hybrid technology goes loco in SoCal (registration required). Take that, OPEC...

That's right. The Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop could open as soon as this evening.

The N.C. Department of Transportation announced this morning that as long as the rain holds off, they plan to reopen the bypass between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The bypass has been closed for about a month so DOT crews could do some work for the next section of the Urban Loop.

For more details, click here.

A new report released by the John Locke Foundation says that overall road conditions, particularly in rural areas, are getting better in the U.S.

But it comes at a huge cost - $91.5 billion spent between 1998 and 2003. And while large amounts of money are being pumped into roads, urban interstate congestion is still increasing, according to the report.

The study, which has been released annually for 14 years, also says North Carolina's roads are continuing to decline. The state ranks 36th in highway performance in the report.

The Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop, or Interstate 85, has reopened.
Click here to read the full story.

Portions of Cornwallis and Lawndale drives will be closed next week because of city sewer work.
From Tuesday to April 1, the city will close Cornwallis Drive from Dellwood Street to Lawndale Drive from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. One north bound lane of Lawndale Drive will be closed as well as the left turn lane from southbound Lawndale Drive on to Cornwallis Drive.
Detour signs will be in place and drivers can expect delays, said city officials.

Oops. I meant to post this Saturday morning. My fault!

The flashbulbs went dark on March 16. No more red-light running caught on cameras in Greensboro.
But road crews still haven't taken down the signs warning drivers of the cameras. What's the deal?
"For the time being, (the signs) are going to be up," said Kevin Elwood with the city's transportation department. "As far as the future, I can't tell you for sure what the status will be."

Residents hate when medians are installed along their road and force them to make U-turns.

But the N.C. Department of Transportation reports that medians reduce the number of fatal crashes.

The right lane of north-bound Interstate 85 Business at Randleman Road will be closed from 8 p.m. Thursday until 3 a.m. Friday.

N.C. Department of Transportation crews will be repairing rails and sidewalks located on the bridge, weather-permitting.

Drivers can expect delays.

The bomb threats against Piedmont Triad International Airport made for interesting holiday travel this weekend, to say the least.

My sister and I got caught up in the first evacuation on Thursday night. Luckily, my flight to New York arrived only about 40 minutes late.

Our biggest traumas involved dropping a bottle of water when we were being evacuated and a struggle with a heavy suitcase when we were let back into the terminal.

Anyone out there have any war stories from their evacuations they'd like to share?

Drivers, start your engines.

The DMV has given a green flag to NASCAR license plates.

Check them out.