Transportation (Pedestrian Safety)

HB 948, the P.A.V.E. Act, amends North Carolina law to allow Mecklenburg County to levy an additional 0.5% local sales tax specifically for public transportation systems. The bill defines "public transportation system" broadly to include buses, transit facilities, bike/pedestrian infrastructure, and automated transport tunnels, while excluding general roads. Funds collected must supplement, not replace, existing public transit funding and can only be used for financing, building, operating, or maintaining these systems. The tax proceeds would be distributed monthly to Mecklenburg County and its public transportation authorities per a financial plan, with the bill taking effect only if Mecklenburg levies this tax.

SB 575 makes failing to yield to a pedestrian when causing serious injury a Class 2 misdemeanor for drivers. It requires North Carolina's driver education programs to add a new pedestrian safety module covering when drivers must yield the right-of-way. The bill also mandates the Division of Motor Vehicles and Department of Public Instruction to study and report by January 1, 2026, on improving pedestrian safety instruction in driver education. These changes directly affect drivers, public school driver education curricula, and state agencies responsible for traffic safety training.