Where Is The Speed Control On Our Highways? - And Response (6)

  • Saturday, October 22, 2016

I am teaching my 15-year-old to drive in the North Georgia and Chattanooga area. I have warned her of the dangers of exceeding the speed limit both as a hazard to herself and in terms of receiving a ticket.

What a liar I am.  Have you driven on the local freeways and highways recently? I never see any highway patrolmen helping to reduce speeding or pulling over those who are high or intoxicated. I never even consider the possibility of receiving a speeding ticket anymore.

The city of Chattanooga doesn't have to pay a professional consulting group to find out why there are so many accidents through the Ridge Cut. I can tell the city the answer. Speeds are not enforced on a three-lane highway that should have been straightened 30 years ago, and tractor trailers are not made to travel in the slow lane as they are in other states.

I travel through the downtown construction zone at 4:00 every day with heavy traffic. The packs of cars are always exceeding the posted speeds of 45 which are set to protect workers and drivers. That zone is never enforced by the THP or CPD.

Thank goodness I don't live out 24 West- is there ever a day when that traffic isn't backed up due to an accident? Is it that we have so reduced the police department and highway patrol budget that there is no longer money to enforce speeding and other driving issues as we once did?

I worry about my teenager and my older parents. The local highways are not safe for them any longer. It saddens me that my parents no longer feel like they can safely drive from Signal Mountain to my home in North Georgia. They must take an extended route through Rossville so that they can visit.

I don't know the answer but driving on I-75 and I-24 reminds me of Mad Max and the Road Warriors. I might consider a flame thrower on the top of my Honda to survive my commute.

Meg White

* * *

I agree completely with Meg.  I drive the segment from Signal Mountain to Fourth Street every day and it is like Bristol Motor Speedway.  The prevailing speed is far in excess of the posted limit in a very treacherous construction site and the dangerous lane changing (without signals) makes it worse. 

It would seem reasonable to place a large number of officers on the highways from the hours of 6-9 in the morning and 3-6 in the afternoon to moderate the speeds on the highways.  People need to remember that the highway is not their personal racetrack and that my family is on the road with you. 

I would invite other readers to comment, especially those who travel Amnicola Highway.   

Steve Petarra

* * *

Saw the article by Meg about where are the police. I drove recently from Soddy Daisy to Dunlap on Hwy 111.
 
I drive a little fast, but cars passed me like I was a little old Granny.
 
I would hate to be a teen just getting behind the wheel. It is scary on our roads today.
 
Dee Penney

* * *

Please give the city officers your understanding.

Their administration is too busy having them try to stop the gangbangers from shooting each other to help the other 99.9 percent of the residents enjoy a safer roadway.

Paul Appleby

* * *

Well here is the really sad part about speeding on Tennessee roads. I installed a dash camera in my vehicle and I have unbelievable video evidence of speeding; following too close; not stopping at a stop sign (rolling stop); headlights, taillights, and brake lights burned out; and on and on. 

The bad news is the number of police cars that do the same thing. The police think they are above the law so why bother complaining to them when they are as guilty of traffic violations as anyone. 

When you break the law it is a ticket or worse. When they break the law it is status quo. 

Jack Varner

* * *

Varner, Appleby, Petarra, & White:

I suggest you familiarize with Tennessee law regarding ‘Keep Right’. Driving in the left lane and impeding the flow of traffic is against the law. It is illegal to be a ‘slow poke’ no matter what the speed limit.

Chattanooga is routinely ranked as a top city in the United States as one of the safest cities to drive by various insurance companies. That is why we enjoy some of the lowest motor vehicle insurance rates in the country. Our rates are low because we don’t wreck. Fact.

Google’s ‘Waze’ recently released its worldwide ‘driver satisfaction index.’ Worldwide. Yes worldwide - 38 countries and 235 metros . Chattanooga ranks #24 on the list as a best city to drive.

The reason "speed control" is not a priority? It is because it is not needed.

Your laymen observations are not backed by facts.

Slow drivers cause unsafe situations. Please move over.

Todd Tyler

* * * 

Mr. Tyler,
 
Wow, you stress in your response that individuals that commented previously should "familiarize" themselves with Tennessee law. You chose to quote one law, and then disregarded another "the speed limit." Seriously, an individual driving the speed limit can hardly be accused of violating the "slow poke law" regardless of the lane in which they are driving. I do not think that this law was established to give individuals the right to speed along the left lane of our roadways. 

Your facts and quotes do not address the intent of the original article. It is about speeding, not slow drivers, but let us look at your law. When the "slow poke law" was first introduced, I felt that it would create just the mindset you seem to exhibit. When I am in the left-hand lane it is to pass a slower care in the right-hand lane. I will do this in a manner within the law. I also have a standing rule in which I do not move back to the right-hand lane until I can see the headlights of the vehicle I am passing in my review mirror.  This gives me and the other drive sufficient room and creates no worries for cutting them off short. 

From the Tennessee driver's manual: 

Passing another vehicle is a normal part of driving, but it can be very dangerous. Collisions resulting from improper passing are often fatal, since the impact is greater in this type of crash. Before you attempt to pass, be sure you have enough room to complete the maneuver. If you have to cut back to your lane too soon, you risk sideswiping the vehicle you are passing. If you do not cut back to your lane soon enough, you risk a headon collision. 

It is equally important to know when not to pass, as well as when to pass. The decision of whether or not to pass is influenced by the knowledge, judgment, attitude and behavior of the driver. Be patient. Study and learn the following passing rules and practice them each time you pass another vehicle. 

Jim Dunn

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