Pinehurst has been named an Outstanding Traffic Safe Community for 2008.

The village was one of 15 North Carolina communities honored at the fifth annual awards luncheon at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Inn in Durham.

AAA Carolinas' Traffic Safety Foundation named the five safest communities in three population categories and then selected one in each category as the safest community for traffic in the state. All communities received awards.

Chapel Hill, Orange and Durham counties (greater than 30,000); Henderson, Vance County (between 10,000 and 30,000); and Highlands, Macon County (less than 10,000) were the three safest communities for traffic in 2007 for traffic in North Carolina.

"Pinehurst recently lowered its speed limit from 35 to 25 mph to help cope with more traffic using narrow streets, and the police are busy with aggressive enforcement," said Tom Crosby, president, AAA Carolinas' Foundation for Traffic Safety. "All traffic campaigns are first announced in community newsletters and publications and then followed by enforcement."

Traffic safe communities are selected by looking at crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita, presence of a formal traffic safety program and/or existence of a special traffic division. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis and AAA Carolinas' Traffic Safety Foundation chose winners in each category giving extra emphasis to those communities that are proactive in enhancing traffic safety efforts.

"All these communities work hard to provide both increased enforcement and innovative programs," Crosby said. "We appreciate their commitment to make our streets safer and applaud them for acting as traffic safe role models."

AAA Carolinas' Foundation for Traffic Safety is a non-profit organization founded by AAA Carolinas and funded by AAA Carolinas' member contributions that works to promote traffic safety initiatives in North and South Carolina.