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NCDOT traffic engineers are planning changes that should make drivers more alert to the dangers of a sharp curve in Durham where five people have died in high-speed crashes since 1992.

Matthew Grape, a Duke University senior, was killed Sept. 15 when a car driven by a fellow student crashed into trees near a curve on N.C. 751 (Academy Road) just south of Duke University Road.  The speed limit is 35 mph, but investigators said the car was traveling at 70 mph. 

Four other people died in two crashes at the same spot in the 1990s, in cars going faster than 80 mph.  Alcohol was involved in all three crashes.

Kelly L. Becker, a regional DOT traffic engineer, recommended today that DOT install three black-on-yellow arrow chevrons on the outside of the curve, replacing one there now.  She recommended two new signs to  remind northbound drivers that they are approaching the curve, and the relocation of an existing curve-ahead sign to provide more advance warning for southbound drivers.

"I think this will provide more visibility for that curve," Becker said. "It is a pretty sharp curve."

If you have a learner’s permit now and you aim to get your provisional license this fall, you’d better plan to spend a lot of your summer driving around with Mom or Dad in the front seat.

Meanwhile, drivers old and young should get ready for a 2.5-cent tax increase, starting July 1, on every gallon of gas and diesel fuel.

Record-high gas taxes and tougher rules for the graduated driver’s license program are the biggest changes that North Carolina drivers will see as a result of action – and inaction – in the Republican-led General Assembly session that adjourned last week. [6/21/11 update: See today's Road Worrier column with reader comments.]

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Apple has laid down the law on apps that warn users of DUI checkpoints.

MacRumors highlighted the change in Apple's App Store Review Guidelines.

"Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected."

Advocacy groups both for and against the sharing of DUI  checkpoint information have been sparring over the past few months.

In March, a group of senators fired a letter to the mobile industry heavyweights calling for a ban of such apps.

The letter from Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Harry Reid, (D-NV), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and Tom Udall (D-NM) was sent to Apple, Google and RIM.

"With more than 10,000 Americans dying in drunk-driving crashes every year, providing access to iPhone and iPad applications that alert users to DUI checkpoints is harmful to public safety," they stated in the letter.

There have been a number of apps available in the major mobile software markets that alert drivers from DUI checkpoints to speed traps which often depend on crowd-sourcing.

There are some law enforcement departments that share their checkpoint information ahead of time.

Apple or any other company has the right to apply their own guidelines. Sharing the information is not illegal, but it has obvious implications as far as aiding those who abuse their driving privlages.

What if the information is shared on Facebook or Twitter? Can they be expected to police that information as well?

The Colorado Department of Transportation has generated a buzz about its free iPhone app, "R-U-Buzzed." It helps you calculate whether you've had enough alcohol to impair your driving.

You can read about it today in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

How does it work? You tell your iPhone how much you weigh, how many drinks you've had and how much time you've been drinking. If that's too complicated, you've had enough!

It does the math to estimate your blood alcohol level, and tells you whether you should call a cab.

I notice on my iPhone that there are other apps that do similar things. One called "R U Drunk" costs $2.99 and claims to administer sobriety tests.

What works for you?

North Carolina’s highway safety laws have earned the state a top “green light” rating in a new 50-state report from a Washington-based coalition of insurance, safety and consumer groups.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety says North Carolina should adopt three laws, proven to reduce crashes and save lives, that are not on the books here.

The report, "2009 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws," calls on the state to:

* Require ignition interlock devices for everyone convicted of impaired driving, including first-time DWI offenders. The device measures blood-alcohol content in the driver’s breath; if the driver is impaired, the car won’t start. Only 7 states require ignition interlocks for all DWI offenders.
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AAA Carolinas blames North Carolina's increased highway death toll last year on increases in fatal crashes involving alcohol or motorcycles.

While traffic deaths declined in most states, North Carolina had the biggest increase in 2007 with 1,675 deaths, up 121 from the year before.  AAA says these statistics include:

* A 37 percent increase in motorcycle deaths, up from 138 in 2006 to 189 in 2007.  Motorcycle deaths have been rising steadily nationwide, while other types of traffic deaths decline.

* A 25 percent increase in deaths involving alchol, up from 390 in 2006 to 489 in 2007.

AAA also says the number of drivers charged with speeding increased by 21 percent from 2003 to 2007, but convictions increased by only 6 percent.

“Our criminal justice system has to begin taking traffic offenses seriously,” said David E. Parsons, CEO and president of AAA Carolinas. “Nearly half of all those charged are not convicted, many having their cases dismissed by pleading to a lesser offense to avoid insurance or license points.”

The numbers of Hispanic drivers involved in fatal crashes (306) and in all crashes (25,337) in 2007 were higher than in 2006 — but the 2007 statistics were lower than the same figures for previous years, AAA said. 

In 2004, Hispanic drivers were involved in 27,727 crashes, including 373 fatal crashes, in North Carolina.  Hispanics make up the fastest-growing segment of North Carolina's population, with numbers that increased by 33 percent between 2003 and 2007.