The North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program will host the 27th annual "Tree of Life" lighting. A Fraser fir tree will be decorated with 1,698 ornament bulbs, one for each person killed in a vehicle crash in North Carolina last year. It also highlights the dangers of unsafe driving practices. The event will feature several speakers including the State Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe.
In 2023, many also gathered for the 26th annual tree lighting including the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell.
“(The) evening's event is a poignant reminder that traffic victims are people, not statistics,” he said at the time.
In 2022, there were 1,798 people killed in traffic crashes, with 471 people killed by substance impaired drivers, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Friday’s event starts at 6 p.m. at the State Capitol grounds.
