Police up their patrol around Plant Vogtle to reduce crash rates

On Behalf of | Feb 21, 2020 | Motor Vehicle Accidents

Law enforcement has begun paying additional attention to the Burke County roads that surround Plant Vogtle in recent months. One of the primary reasons why they’ve started doing this is because there has been an uptick in traffic violations and crashes in the area during that time frame. While no one has died in these incidents, there have been injuries. Police have upped their patrol as they feel that it’s only a matter of time before someone dies for a completely preventable reason.

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office statistics show that there were 55 crashes on the roads surrounding Plan Vogtle in Jan. Five of those resulted in injuries. There have been 56 accidents along these same roadways so far this year. Nine people have been hurt as a result of their involvement in them.

There have been several hundred traffic violation stops during the past two months. A police spokesperson contends that at least 90% of those have ended up with the motorist receiving a ticket. Many of those have been for speeding or following too closely.

The street that has seen the most activity is River Road, one of the primary roads that individuals use to enter and exit the plant. Police data shows that at least eight motorists have died along that same roadway within the past four years.

Georgia Power is the majority owner of the plant. Last year, the power company funded a $500,000 grant earmarked for the sheriff’s office. They expect the funds to be used to improve safety on the roadways around the plant. A police spokesperson notes that this has aided them greatly. There hasn’t been a significant decline in citations or crashes since then though.

Police officials continue to meet regularly with plant representatives to discuss their safety concerns. This has resulted in many traffic patterns being adjusted in an attempt to make it safer for workers and others to move about.

Many Augusta residents drive 30 miles south to Burke County to work at Plant Vogtle each day. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to become involved in an injury crash, then you’ll be happy to learn that you don’t have to foot the bill for your costly medical expenses all alone. Your motor vehicle accident attorney can help you secure the compensation necessary to cover the bills that you’ve amassed.