<< Back 4/7/04 Sylva ranks high in auto crashes SMN Sylva is ranked 13th in the state for cities of its size in terms of the number of vehicle accidents, according to a quarterly report issued by the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles. Sylva Chief of Police Jeff Jamison cited the report at the town’s council meeting April 1 as he read off a list of police activity including the month’s crash totals. In 2002, Sylva had 511 auto accidents, two of those being fatal. The ranking is nothing particularly new for the town, Jamison said, despite a jump from 22nd in 2001 to 13th a year later. “It’s always been a high crash area,” Jamison said. He blamed the crash ratio on increased traffic and congestion, noting N.C. 107 as one of the primary causes. “The streets just aren’t able to handle the traffic,” he said. N.C. 107 is one of several roads to be studied by the Jackson County Transportation Task Force, a group of appointed members from town and county government, Western Carolina University, Southwestern Com-munity College and others. The group will hold its first meeting at 6 p.m. on April 20 at the Jackson County Justice Center. Agenda items will include defining the geographical scope of the task force study, what date needs to be considered, what roads must be examined and who will play which roles in the task force’s administration. All meetings are open to the public.