North Carolina's rural roads among deadliest in country, study says

North Carolina has some of the deadliest rural roads in the country, according to a national study.

Posted 11:24 a.m. Jun 28, 2017 — Updated 11:24 a.m. Jun 28, 2017

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has some of the deadliest rural roads in the country, according to a national study.

The study by TRIP, a national transportation research group, found the Tar Heel State had 855 deaths on rural roads in 2015, which is the latest year of data. The number ranked North Carolina third in the country.

Only Texas and California tallied more rural-road deaths, with 1,259 and 1,219, respectively.

TRIP said fatal crashes on rural roads were more common than in urban areas because there are fewer roadway safety features, longer emergency response times and higher speed limits. Narrow lanes and two-lane roads also contributed to the problem.

South Carolina counted 607 deaths on rural roads, ranking the state at No. 4. Pennsylvania ranked fifth with 565 deaths.

Top 25 states with most fatal crashes on non-interstate, rural roads in 2015:

1 Texas 1,259

2 California 1,219

3 North Carolina 855

4 South Carolina 607

5 Pennsylvania 565

6 Kentucky 542

7 Michigan 528

8 Mississippi 524

9 Georgia 505

10 Indiana 467