Salisbury man dies following weekend moped crash
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A Salisbury man has died following a weekend collision at Old Concord Road and South Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Hospital officials said Jeffrey Mauldin, 51, died Monday, a day after he was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Mauldin was riding a scooter Sunday around 6:30 p.m. and ran into a vehicle on South Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Salisbury Police Capt. Shelia Lingle said Mauldin moved into the right lane and collided with a vehicle driven by Judy Robinson, 61, also of Salisbury. He was thrown from the scooter.
He was taken to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and later airlifted to the Winston-Salem hospital.
Police responded to the scene, blocking traffic near Sheetz at Old Concord Road and moving traffic in another lane of travel on South Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Mauldin’s death comes as the N.C. General Assembly is considering new regulations on scooters recommended by the state Division of Motor Vehicles.
Legislators heard new rule suggestions last week, just months after the General Assembly mandated owners register the vehicles.
DMV Commissioner Kelly Thomas said last week that lawmakers also may consider requiring moped or motor scooter operators to have a driver’s license or state identification card and to obtain liability insurance.
Mopeds should be prohibited from roads where posted speed limits are at least 45 mph, Thomas added.
Seventy-seven of the 115 reported fatal crashes in North Carolina involving a moped or motor scooter from 2009 through 2013 were on roads with speed limits at or above 45 mph, a DMV presentation said.
“Most fatalities are at higher-speed roads, and it’s kind of a no-brainer,” Thomas told the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee. “A low-speed vehicle on a high-speed road will lose.”
The speed limit on Jake Alexander Boulevard where Mauldin’s fatal wreck occurred is 45 mph.
The recommendations, which Thomas said were based on crash data and what other states already regulate, also would prevent someone from operating a moped with a driver’s license that was revoked or suspended due to impaired driving.
The status of Mauldin’s license was not clear Monday. According to N.C. Department of Correction records, he was convicted of driving while impaired in 2013.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.