The Town of Tryon was named an Outstanding Traffic Safe Community for its population in the 2013 North Carolina Traffic Safe Community Awards by the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Sgt. Theda Rickman accepted the award during a ceremony on Dec. 11 at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, N.C.

In all, 14 total North Carolina locations were honored, including three Grand Winners during the 10th-annual awards luncheon hosted by the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“The AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety continues to tackle the deadly practice of texting while driving, especially among teen drivers, a group who has grown up continuously connected to cell phones and computers,” said Angela Vogel Daley, president of AAA Carolinas Traffic Safety Foundation. “AAA Carolinas’ goal is to create a culture change among teens concerning texting while driving.”

The annual Traffic Safe Community Awards are presented to recognize cities and towns offering programs and initiatives that make roads safer in the Carolinas.

Patricia Poole from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and Bob Stevens from the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program honored local law enforcement and community representatives.

All winners are listed below by population, with the total number of years they have been recognized: (*repeat winners)

Population greater than 30,000:

•  Chapel Hill* (Orange County; eight years)

• Cary* (Wake County; nine years)

•  Apex* (Wake County; five years)

• Wilson* (Wilson County; two years)

• Kannapolis* (Cabarrus County; three years)

Population 10,000- 30,000:

• Laurinburg* (Scotland County; eight years)

• Holly Springs* (Wake County; two years)

• Cornelius* (Mecklenburg County; four years)

• Tarboro* (Edgecombe County; five years)

Population less than 10,000:

• Topsail Beach* (Onslow County; two years)

• Caswell Beach (Brunswick County; first year)

• Highlands* (Macon County; seven years)

• Tryon (Polk County; first year)

• Oakboro (Stanly County; first year)

Traffic safe communities are selected by looking at crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita and presence of formal traffic safety programs.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis. The AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety is a non-profit organization founded by AAA Carolinas that works to promote traffic safety initiatives in North and South Carolina. For more information, go to AAA.com/Foundation.

– article submitted by Tryon Police Chief Jeff Arrowood