The Facts Don't Lie: Speed Kills
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I cannot stand by while individuals spout off regarding items they know nothing about, nor have they taken the time to research or ask about the items.
I receive almost daily complaints about speeders in the village of Pinehurst. The citizens I talk to are concerned about traffic conditions and speeders in the village. A quick snapshot for January and February discloses that 486 citations were written by the Pinehurst Police Department. Of those, 159, or 32.7 percent, were for speeding.
Thirty-two of those citations were issued to residents of Pinehurst, 46 to other residents of Moore County, 16 to individuals from out of state, and the rest went to individuals from around North Carolina. Of those citations, not one was issued for less than 10 miles over the posted speed limit. Three were written for 25 miles over and one for 27 miles over the posted speed limit. The average was 15 miles over.
During the same two months, 73,045 vehicles were clocked with the department’s speed trailer, and of those clocked, only 31,461 were obeying the speed limit, while 57 percent were speeding.
According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, speed was a contributing factor in 34 percent of all reportable motor vehicle collisions in 2010: 452 people were killed in speed-related collisions; 41,729 people were injured in speed-related collisions; 83 percent of speed-related fatalities were not wearing a seat belt; 54 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on a weekend (Friday through Sunday); and 52 percent of vehicles involved in fatal crashes were exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour.
The facts speak for themselves. The residents of the village of Pinehurst, those who work there and those who travel through the village should understand that the Pinehurst Police Department will do everything within its power to slow down speeders. Speed kills!
Floyd R. Thomas
Pinehurst
Editor’s Note: The writer is a police captain for the village of Pinehurst.
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Comments
jamjam 1 year, 2 months ago
catch me if you can. lmao. no really, good article, good piece. from my point of view Pinehurst is a dangerous place to ride. old blue hairs that don't check the roads before moving. who speed, or drive incredibly slow. I've even seen the elderly getting field check for sobriety at 10:00 am. It must be the entitlement mentality that allows them to navigate the roads in such a dangerous manner. Ok, that was a cheap shot, even the young of Pinehurst are entitled.
fthomas 1 year, 2 months ago
I am the Captain of the Pinehurst Police Department and not the Chief of Police. Thank-you Floyd R. Thomas, Captain, Pinehurst Police Department
gr8place2live 1 year, 2 months ago
Ok people, last time I checked Ronnie Davis was the Chief of Pinehurst Police Department. In regards to the Editors Note following the article, you may want to include correct information. Then again would we expect anything different from the paper. It allows incorrect information to be posted daily. By the way It's sad when speeding in Pinehurst is the hotest topic in the county. Does nothing else happen here?
enoughisenough 1 year, 2 months ago
such a bad paper then why do you constantly read it?
dustyrhoades 1 year, 2 months ago
There's a lot of folks around here who just love to get their mad on. It's why my column's so popular. :-)
dustyrhoades 1 year, 2 months ago
It must be the entitlement mentality
Nailed it.
teufelhunden 1 year, 2 months ago
Yep...that seems to be the norm these days...disgraceful.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Speed does not kill. I say again, SPEED. DOES. NOT. KILL. Differences in speed can kill. The phrase "speed kills" vastly over-simplifies and gives a false impression. I have been driving for 30 years, beginning in Colorado. I have driven in all weather conditions, in all manner of terrain, across most of this country, in Japan, Korea, Slovenia, and Crete. Timid drivers cause accidents when they stop at the top of an on-ramp. Slow drivers cause accidents. Speeding drivers cause accidents WHEN their speed varies significantly from flow of traffic. The guy insisting on doing 55 in a 55 when everyone else is doing 70 is the one endangering everyone. My observation has been that as the speed limit climbs, the closer to the limit most drivers cluster, and the lower it is, the wider the variance. Many drivers are complacent and smug because they're driving at the limit. They don't pay enough attention to the rest of the traffic because they think they're safe. Inattentive drivers are a much bigger risk factor than fast drivers who do watch the road. I don't mean to say that all speeders are safe drivers, only that many of them are actually less dangerous than some of the self-righteous "law-abiding" non-speeders. Rather than focus on speed, we need to worry about focus, awareness, and defensive driving. Tailgaters, unsure drivers, and complacent drivers are the threat.
enoughisenough 1 year, 2 months ago
wrong...the ones doing 70 when the limit is 55 are the ones creating danger. if 11 people are standing on a bridge and 10 jump off is the one still standing on the bridge the one doing wrong? guess it depends if the bridge is falling but hopefully you get the point. speed does kill. research it. don't try to justify it.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Try some research yourself. Flow of traffic is real, and going at a different speed from the flow of traffic is dangerous. Try thinking, not blindly reacting.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
Its a matter of simple physics the faster an object is going the harder it will hit. Speed does kill.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Ignorance. Most accidents are not with brick walls, where you drop from your top speed to zero. Moving accidents differ based on RELATIVE speed. Crashing into a tree at 35 is much more serious than a car doing 70 rear-ending one doing 65. Try TAKING a physics course before citing it.
gr8place2live 1 year, 2 months ago
Darkwing, you are correct in that a 30 mph collision with a tree is more severe than is the 5 mph impact speed based on both vehicles relative motion. What happens after this initial impact? both vehicles don't just come to an immediate stop with a great outcome. More likely than not one if not both drivers panic and lose control of their respective vehicle. Now you have two cars that are spinning out of control at a high rate of speed. Assuming neither vehicle strike another object all may be fine. However should they encounter another object the crash now becomes much worse directly related to the speed of the vehicles. Therefore speed does kill. But let me guess, your one of the people that assumes it's not the fall that gets you but the sudden stop at the end.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Most such accidents I've seen have managed to pull over. But then, I grew up in Colorado, where we had significant snow and ice, and mountain roads to deal with. Additionally, my driver's ed instructor was a harsh taskmaster who pushed us to do our best. If a driver is that easily panicked, they should take mass transit. I've driven in a snowstorm with 10' visibility that chased me from Pueblo, Colorado to Dumas, Texas. I've driven in Tokyo during Golden Week. I've been passed doing 100km in a hairpin turn in Crete. I stand by my experiences and observations, and that trumps an thought experiment.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
I have taken many physics classes and it is still simple physics the faster the vehicles are going the harder they will hit. you just showed one rare example, what about all the others such as head ons and intersections crashes. Even in your example yes the initial collision is 5mph but that just started a chain of events that are going much faster. if they were both doing the speed limit the whole thing would be avoided.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Re-audit those courses then. The problem is not speed, the problem is lack of attention. Speeders can be unaware, too, but the smug, complacent driver who's doing the speed limit with his cruise control on is the idiot causing accidents because he's not paying attention. He KNOWS he's safe, because he's not doing anything wrong, until suddenly a car appears out of "nowhere". The whole thing obviously was NOT avoided, because such accidents still happen.
theonewithsense 1 year, 2 months ago
I'm not sure which physics course you took, but in a crash there are two principles at work; conservation of momentum and conservation of energy. Both of these principles are directly proportional to velocity. Some cars are able to dissipate energy better than others, but the energy entering into the collision is directly proportional to the velocity. To put it in easy terms to understand, If everyone drove at 10 mph or below, there would be no deaths. If everyone drove at 100mph plus there would be many. It is a rather easy concept to understand.
DaveyNC 1 year, 2 months ago
Beat me to it. Speed differential is the real problem, along with failure to maintain a cushion around your vehicle. Match speed, don't drive up into packs of cars and don't tailgate and a lot of wrecks will be prevented.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Thanks, Davey. Most people drive in wolfpacks - it's a subconcious display of herd instinct. I prefer to be a lone wolf, and drive between wolfpacks. But driving to your own drum INSIDE a wolfpack is dangerous.
DaveyNC 1 year, 2 months ago
UPS training. Always know where your escape route is.
CNMT 1 year, 2 months ago
Speed does kill - when a single car accident occurs because the driver was doing 20 - 30 miles over the speed limit, loses control of their vehicle and goes off the road into the trees or flips in a ditch, speed is the primary cause of that accident.
listenup 1 year, 2 months ago
Please start looking for the idiots who REFUSE to use their turn signals, the old folks who drive at 10mph no matter what, and the countless other moving violations we residents see all the time...it always seems Pinehurst PD has way too much focus on speed, especially after dropping the limit to a ridiculous 25mph across the board. Also, please ask your officers to be a bit less militant in the way they deal with the public. If I am being polite and complying with the officer, it would be nice to be treated the same way, not like a criminal.
listenup 1 year, 2 months ago
Darkwing...well said. Unfortunately you cant catch the tailgaters, usure drivers and complacent drivers by sitting on the side of the road all day hiding and waiting. That is what the Pinehurst PD does best, and that is what rakes in the $$.
I love this: "During the same two months, 73,045 vehicles were clocked with the department’s speed trailer, and of those clocked, only 31,461 were obeying the speed limit, while 57 percent were speeding. "
How much would you bet that the majority of these "speeders" were going 26-27 mph, on roads that were built for 35mph safely and were that speed limit for decades. Classic small town cops with nothing else to focus on besides this kind of silly thing.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
On a related topic, pedestrians and bicyclists should be taught to forget the right of way and learn to respect the MIGHT of way. I call it Defensive Movement. Whether walking or driving, I frequently see pedestrians slow down as they cross the road, avoiding eye contact with drivers. It's a control game. They know they have the right of way, but they often act as if the crosswalk has a forcefield to protect them. It doesn't. I have nearly been run over by cars that don't stop before turning at the light or sign. My daughter was run over and had her legs broken in 3 places when she was 3 by a driver who wasn't looking before turning. I don't care if the crosswalk light is on, I make sure I have eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of their car. Slap the hood if the driver is looking away from you. Don't saunter slowly to hold them up, and don't look away. That sort of mind-game can get you killed.
hchase 1 year, 2 months ago
Thanks for pointing out the error in the editor's note. It has been corrected.
stlouisx50 1 year, 2 months ago
I can't stand when people say speed kills. It is not the #1 reason for accidents and 34% of crashes are because of speed? It appears you are looking over another 66% that you seem to care less about.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
Speed is the number 1 cause of crashes the other 66% are a variety of reasons.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
No, speed is not the reason, it's the excuse latched on to to explain the crash. For example, when driving on snow, one should accelerate gently and decelarate gently, leaving more room than normal between cars. But if you hit the brakes too hard, and lose control, the cause will likely be cited as speeding instead of bad braking practices, even if the driver was at a reasonable speed.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
If they lose control obviously they were going to fast for the conditions and their driving ability!
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
By that logic, 1 mph is too fast for the conditions for some drivers.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
For some it is
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
Then why are they allowed to drive?
listenup 1 year, 2 months ago
"452 people were killed in speed-related collisions; 41,729 people were injured in speed-related collisions; 83 percent of speed-related fatalities were not wearing a seat belt; 54 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on a weekend (Friday through Sunday); and 52 percent of vehicles involved in fatal crashes were exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour."
And how many of these were in Pinehurst? I would like to know.
Difran 1 year, 2 months ago
Speeding is against the law. If you speed, you're taking a chance that you'll get a ticket. Speeding is a choice, and like all choices there are always consequences.
However, I would point out that there are a significant amount of drivers in Pinehurst who cause more danger than speeder by choosing to drive 10-15 miles BELOW the speed limit. These slow moving drivers cause traffic back-ups and dangerous moves by others trying to get around them.
I'd like to see the Pinehurst police step up the number of citations they give to those drivers who travel at an unsafe speed by driving too slow.
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
My driver's ed course many years ago told me that the MOST dangerous category of non-DUI driver is the timid driver, and 30 years & 3 continents later, I've seen nothing to disprove that statement.
fugitiveguy 1 year, 2 months ago
Idiots who occupy the left lane on interstates forcing faster vehicles to pass on the right cause accidents. How the heck did they ever get the idea that this was acceptable. Totally bleepin clueless.
gr8place2live 1 year, 2 months ago
Hey officers if the Pinehurst Police Department, if people want to complain about getting stopped for speeding, I say step up enforcement and show them who is un control of the roadway. People complain if the police do there job and complain if they don't. I would rather my tax dollars go to the ones working. I say to the Pinehurst Police Department, Happy Hunting!!
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
point made and seconded!
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
The problem isn't trying to enforce the law - I don't ADVOCATE speeding. I'm just sick of lazy thinking blaming it all on speed, when all too often it's other things. Pigeonholing it all as 'speed' means drivers don't even think about all the other things they do wrong that upsets the flow of traffic and makes accidents more likely. Demonize speeders, shut off brain, be surprised when you rear-end someone because you were in a daze as you tailgated, then ask for sympathy. Not from this corner.
fugitiveguy 1 year, 2 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
teufelhunden 1 year, 2 months ago
If you're doing 80 and crash won't there be more harm and damage than a crash at 45 or 55? Wouldn't there also be a higher chance of flipping & rolling?
Ross 1 year, 2 months ago
I'll bet you taught physics at MIT!
Darkwing 1 year, 2 months ago
If you hit an object at rest, yes. But if you unintentionally play bumper cars with someone doing nearly the same speed, not really.
fugitiveguy 1 year, 2 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Jibbs 1 year, 2 months ago
"73,045 vehicles were clocked […] 57 percent were speeding."
That data is actually better than I expected it would be. I wonder how many people fail to use their turn signals correctly, follow too closely, and a myriad of other infractions (combined). They should be pulled over and at very least notified of their wrongdoing.
That being said… why then is it necessary to ignore the Constitution and have police checkpoints and other actions that trample the Fourth Amendment if so many people are breaking traffic laws? You swore an oath before God to both support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
The US Supreme Court has said checkpoints are Constitutional in four cases. (1)to look for illegal aliens {this is uded specificaly in the border states (2)to detect impaired drivers as they are an immediate threat (3) to find unlicensed drivers as they are an immediate threat (4) for informational purposes such as in a case of a fatal hit and run officers can stand their and request information from the motoring public to help solve the crime. The fact is checkpoints have been challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court and have been deemed legal by all courts. Driving is a privalege not a right.
Jibbs 1 year, 2 months ago
I'm not arguing against its effectiveness; obviously arrests will greatly increase––as would monitoring every phone call, Internet search, credit card purchase, putting cameras on every corner, etc. It doesn't take a law degree, a Supreme Court justice, or any of the other "intellectuals" to see how that violates the Fourth Amendment.
Just don't EVER complain when any of the other amendments are violated or disregarded. Maybe certain speech shouldn't be allowed? Perhaps only certain religions should be allowed to freely worship? If you support bending the Constitution in this or any circumstance you lose all credibility to claim something else as unconstitutional in the future.
If the Constitution can be suspended or ignored, then it fails to be a constitution. Then where are we?
Here's an appropriate quote from Roosevelt that CPT Floyd Thomas Pinehurst PD gave about an earlier story last September: “No man is above the law, and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.”
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
Again its not a constitutional violation to do a checkpoint.
saturn5 1 year, 2 months ago
If thats what you gotta do thats what you gotta do.
fthomas 1 year, 2 months ago
The Fourth Amendment provides protection against unreasonalble search and seizure. Roadblocks, as they are referred to by the courts, fall under what is known as a special needs exception to the 4th Amendment. The special needs exception requires that the primary purpose of the search/seizure be for regulatory, not law enforcement, purposes. Under this theory, things like drivers license/vehicle registration checkpoints pass muster because the purpose is to ensure motorists have complied with state licensing requirements.
dustyrhoades 1 year, 2 months ago
Speed doesn't kill; abrupt deceleration kills. It just does it more often if the deceleration is from a high speed. This has been today's Moment of Pedantry.
Ross 1 year, 2 months ago
You are beginning to sound like james......... :)
marathonman 1 year, 2 months ago
Great article Frank. Let those who are challenged continue to try to demonize you and those like you who feel responsibility and are empowered to take action dismiss them. I run and nearly everyday am confronted with those who are speeding. Yesterday, a young woman approached at a high rate of speed and nearly loss control while she was either texting or trying to use the cell and could not find the right number. I had to jump off the edge of the road into the weeds. She proceded unto the apron before jerking the wheel and getting back on the road. (Rt 211 approaching the circle after the light, a gray SUV about 10:40 AM.) Speeding, distracted driving, road rage, etc.. all will kill eventually. Let us hope that they only kill themselves - which still costs all of us something - and not some others who are obeying the law with the spirit: doing so when no one is watching.
listenup 1 year, 2 months ago
alleycat22...exactly. Pinehurst Village council and the PD both love to cite "complaints" but a complaint is just that...one person voicing displeasure. I have had elderly people walking in my neighborhood wave and give "slow down" gestures when I was going 25mph. The complaints mean nothing, unless the citizens complaining have radar guns. As usual, when a handful of retired, wealthy, and bored residents decide to spend their massive amounts of free time complaining to the council or the PD, the people in power do whatever they ask, no questions asked. Typical Pinehurst backward thinking.
CNMT 1 year, 2 months ago
OK, I have another can of worms to open here....why not??? The speed limit on Page Road between Memorial Drive and 211 is 20 MPH. There are several parking lots located on the east side of Page Road that hospital employees, patients, and visitors use. They then have to cross Page Road at the one crosswalk located at the Out Patient entrance to the hospital. I have been totally shocked that we have not had more people hit by cars in this area. The only ones driving 20 mph on that stretch of road are the golf carts!!!! I have seen cars drive right by people who are in the crosswalk at this location. I have also seen people standing at the crosswalk waiting to cross in the pouring rain and the cars will not stop to allow them to cross. What ever happened to common courtesy?
Sean 1 year, 2 months ago
I like to speed. It's fun. I feel safe going 85 or 90 in certain situations, but I would like to see the speed limit on Burning Tree and all the attached residential roads at 25mph. People regularly go 40+ through that area, there are no sidewalks, and no shoulder, so in the road we have walkers, geese, dogs, kids, cyclists, yardworkers, joggers, UPS trucks, kids waiting for school busses right on the road, neighbors talking, etc.
When you go down the dip, and around the corner near the marina at 40, and someone is in the road, and someone is comming from the other direction, it is not pretty. I have seen one serious accident, and many near misses at that point. 35 is unsafe on that stretch of road.
Reduce the speed in the residential areas, and if people want to go 45 or 50, they can go drive on Linden.
CharlieOneHorse 1 year, 2 months ago
Speed does not kill........the impact does...........Enuff said on my part...