Cary intersection doesn't meet criteria for traffic light

Police say 22-year-old Martikia Adams was driving in a Saturn with her boyfriend, 26-year-old Brian Cobb, when she attempted to turn left from West Chatham Street onto Cary Parkway and crossed into the path of a Dodge Avenger.

Adams and Cobb were taken to WakeMed, where they died, police said. They leave behind a 2-year-old daughter, who was not in the car. 

Meghan Sladek, who was driving the Avenger, suffered minor injuries, police said.

No charges have been filed.

Neighbors living near the intersection and drivers say the is dangerous and a common site for car crashes.

"Turning left is pretty hard. I think you could use a light here," driver Mark Seawell said. 

Cary traffic engineer David Spencer said the town has looked into installing a traffic signal at the intersection three times since 2007. 

"One of the things that we look at when considering a signal is crash history," Spencer said. 

There hasn't been enough crashes at the intersection to justify installing a light, he said. 

"Unfortunately, looking at the criteria for crashes, there is no taking into account for the severity of the crash," Spencer said. 

In addition to traffic volume and other criteria, to warrant a light an intersection would need to have had five crashes that would have likely been corrected by a traffic light in a single year. 

There have been two correctable crashes, including Sunday's wreck, in the past year and a total of five correctable crashes at the intersection since November 2004, Spencer said. 

Spencer said engineers will be evaluating the intersection again to determine if it qualifies for a traffic light.