Area roads and highways were busy but quiet over the Memorial Day weekend, law officers say.

"This has been one of the lower wreck-weeks this year in Bladen County," said Sgt. G.I. Bell of the N.C. Highway Patrol. "It was comparatively uneventful."

Only a handful of crashes occurred throughout the county, primarily on N.C. 87. Last Memorial Day, one fatality occurred near Elizabethtown, and numerous car crashes were reported.

Bell attributed the good driving to stepped-up education efforts. The Click It or Ticket highway safety program goes into high gear over the Memorial Day weekend, targeting impaired and aggressive drivers, drivers who don't use seat belts, and improper child restraints.

The program continues through this Sunday.

"We had all available personnel on the road," Bell said.

Local agencies also reported quiet weekends.

Despite large crowds, White Lake had few problems, according to officer reports. The Bladen County Sheriff's Department and police from Elizabethtown and Bladenboro reported a similar lack of trouble.

"We had a few more calls," said Lt. Matt Hester of the Bladenboro Police Department, "but nothing really holiday-related. Everyone was pretty well behaved."

Patrolman Mike Salmon of the White Lake Police Department said the weekend was quiet.

"It was almost boring," he said, "but we like it that way. It means people are behaving."

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