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Targeting speeders and aggressive drivers over Easter holiday will be the main focus of the State Highway Patrol as part of its ongoing "Operation Slowdown".

North Carolina State Troopers will be making their presence known on interstate highways and other heavily traveled corridors, the agency announced yesterday. Aggressive drivers are defined as motorists who speed excessively, follow too closely, make erratic lane changes or exhibit other types of reckless endangerment.

Col. Walter J. Wilson Jr., the Patrol Commander, admonished that "whether you’re headed to the beach, visiting friends, or going to church, please drive with care. Our troopers will be looking for speeders, drunk drivers and drivers not wearing their seat belts while patrolling this Easter weekend.”

The agency is going to be working hard to prevent and limit the amount of unsafe driving usually exhibited on busy holiday travel times. Last year’s Easter Travel accident statistics in North Carolina were as follows: nine people died in 790 collisions during the holiday period. The 2009 Easter weekend began at 6 p.m. Thursday and ends at midnight Sunday.

This year motorists on average are driving less and Easter isn’t a traditionally heavy travel weekend, according to AAA Carolinas motor club. This will of course, benefit those who do drive by helping to stabilize gas prices, the motor club reported. April usually signals an increase in gasoline prices as refineries do their heaviest maintenance of the year during this time, thereby reducing overall supply.

However, with decreased demand, crude oil supplies are at the highest they have been in 16 years. “These factors should help modulate gasoline prices between now and Memorial Day,” said AAA Carolinas president and CEO David Parsons.

Additionally, the nationwide Combined Accident Reduction Effort is in full swing. Highway Patrol is enforcing a coordinated effort in which troopers and local police increase their visibility along selected routes to prevent crashes.

North Carolina State Troopers will increase their efforts to enforce the state’s litter laws, the release said. Under tougher littering laws passed by the N.C. General Assembly, first-time offenders can be fined as much as $1,000 and be ordered to perform up to 24 hours of community service. Repeat offenders can get a $2,000 fine and 50 hours community service.

Citizens may report crashes, drunken drivers, stranded motorists or other highway situations to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP (*47) on their cellular telephones. This is a toll free call that connects the caller with the nearest Highway Patrol communications center.

As a personal injury attorney at a law firm that focuses only on such matters we want you to have a safe Easter holiday and to use caution when on the roads this weekend. If you have been injured in an accident and need the help of a lawyer please contact our office. Our firm may be able to help you recover medical expenses and loss wages. Our injury law firm maintains a NE NC office in Elizabeth City, and our main law office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Four of our law firm’s injury lawyers are licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Virginia, and beyond. For over a decade we have been helping North Carolina residents, and those suffering injuries or wrongful death in NC.

Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia, with offices in northeast NC and Virginia Beach (VA), practicing primarily in the southeastern U.S. and handles only injury law, including car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. The firm’s website is: hsinjurylaw.com, the firm edits three injury law blogs: Virginia Beach Injuryboard & Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and also hosts a video library covering many FAQ’s on personal injury subjects. The lawyers are licensed in VA, NC, WV, DC, SC, and KY.

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