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State agrees to lower U.S. 158 speed limit in KDH
A man was killed after the light at Colington malfunctioned.
After a fatal accident at the Colington Road intersection in September of last year, the town petitioned the state Department of Transportation to lower the speed limit to 35 mph.
The light was malfunctioning and had switched to flashing mode at the time of the accident. The town had also asked NCDOT to look at its procedure for responding to malfunctioning signals.
On Wednesday night, the town’s Board of Commissioners voted to proceed with lowering the speed limit from 50 mph to 45 mph. The town will send a confirmation letter to the state, which will prepare an ordinance for the board’s approval.
NCDOT said it would go along with lowering the speed limit to 35 mph on the stretch of Colington west of the traffic signal. Now, it is 45 mph from the U.S. 158 intersection to Baum Bay.
Commissioner Mike Hogan said that years ago, during a discussion of lowering the speed limit to 35 mph, the concern was that an abrupt change from 50 mph could cause an “accordion effect” of more backups and accidents.
During the peak of the summer season, heavy traffic usually slows down to 35 mph or less in the densely commercial “french fry alley.”
In a letter to the town, NCDOT District Engineer Jerry Jennings said that one of four traffic signal technicians is assigned to Dare County. Two live in Barco and generally are available to respond to malfunctioning signals during off hours.
NCDOT and the town received some criticism because the light was left flashing during late afternoon traffic and no police officers were sent to help with traffic control.
The previous board of commissioners quickly adopted a policy that called for sending officers immediately to the scene of malfunctioning traffic lights. The policy was rescinded by the new board because of liability concerns.
Jennings wrote that training police officers to reset malfunctioning lights would be impractical because problems can be more complicated and would require specialized training.
A town employee could be assigned to the job, but that also would require extensive training and certification.
The board decided not to wait and to move forward to reduce the speed limit before the tourist season. Town Manager Debora Diaz suggested lowering the speed limit to 45 mph as soon as possible and “see how that calms the traffic.” Another request could be made later, she said.
Commissioner Paul Buske initiated the request for a lower speed limit. He was absent from Wednesday’s meeting but told Mayor Sheila Davies that he still wanted to push for 35 mph.
Nags Head has also been asked to consider lowering the speed limit to 45 mph between the town line at 8th Street and Woodhill Drive at Nags Head Elementary School.
Multiple charges were filed against the driver of a car that ran through the flashing red signal and collided with a pickup on U.S. 158. A man in the truck died.
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local says:
Will reducing the speed limit have an affect on people that run red lights while drunk? No. The proposed speed limit change for Colington Road/Ocean Bay Blvd also will have little effect for keeping the drunks and idiots from not paying attention to a solid or flashing red light that they get to look at for nearly 1/2 mile before reachingi the bypass. This is simply an overreaction to a tragic event. Parts of Duck and nearly all of Corolla get an increased speed limit during the off-season when traffic is light, even though there have been a number of serious wrecks with pedestrians over the years.
Harold says:
This will do nothing except raise revenue for KDH in the off-season. In the summer, you’re lucky if you can go 10 mph in KDH.
joan says:
Well,
It used to be called the BYPASS. A quicker way to get there.This measure is smart, but the towns are the ones who allowed the commercial development with no feeder lanes and destroyed the reason for the highway.Sure it will take me longer to get to work, but safer. When you look at the lights added from Grandy to Whalebone (New one at Lowe’s now) since the nineties…you know we are choking off Hatteras and inconveniencing people that need to get somewhere, who collide with locals going about business. KDH is the cause with very poor planning on commercial development. Who has been the planning director since the early nineties? The blood is on their hands.
comfortablybum says:
Getting hit by a car going 45 as opposed to 50 is really going to hurt a lot less.
Will this really fix any problems? No. Will this result in a bunch of traffic tickets for locals? Yes.
So having a police officer direct traffic is too much of a liability? The schools have people direct traffic. Should they stop protecting the children at crosswalks because they are afraid of being sued? Seems like letting a dangerous intersection go undirected is more negligent than not doing it.
Dazed and Confused says:
Where will the cops set up their speed traps?
Capt. G. says:
If I remember the full story correctly (and possibly I don’t), having the police actually respond to (and not ignore) the light being out may have had much more affect on the named accident – over a 5 mph reduction in speed.
I can’t read every story in every paper/ezine (so there may have been some updates I didn’t read), but having Public Safety Officers actually having Public Safety as their NUMBER ONE job would go a long way toward addressing the problem they’re trying to fix.
John T says:
Ya might as well drive the beach road.With all the traffic lights on the bypass,you’ll make better time……
Bill says:
B ~ S You cannot correct stupid and Drivers on Vacation with their Driving Skills on Vacation too. Think Rob Morris shared that last year with us!
Anonymous says:
Ugh, really? Because of a handful of idiots, we are all punished.
TKO says:
It will also increase congestion and wrecks on the beach road as people try to avoid worse and slower traffic on the bypass.
The problem is drivers with poor decision-making skills, little or no knowledge of traffic law, and a complete disregard for other drivers. Not to mention drunk drivers…
This entire discussion stems from issues caused by drivers ignoring rules of the road. Why does KDH or NCDOT think they can correct things by changing the rules? The only solution is to correct the drivers, and no one is taking steps to do that.
surprise!! says:
Well played KDHPD, well played. Let’s not go to a major intersection with a malfunctioning light during heavy traffic to make it safer. Then, when there’s a tragic accident, the State will lower the speed limit and then we can give out more speeding tickets! Watson, I think we’ve got it!!
obxneighbor says:
When the terrible accident happened at Colington Rd everyone was quick to blame the Town and the Police instead of driver error. Now that the Town and Polioe are trying to help the issue with a speed change. Comments on here say it waa the drivers fault. Not too mention if you drive the speed limit no matter what the signs read you won’t have an issue getting a ticket.
John Dough says:
Wasn’t the speed limit increased to 50 from 45 years ago? I seem to remember it being lower at some point. Sigh. Just gonna take that much longer to get home. And I agree with the above poster that it’s an overreaction to one event. That 5mph isn’t going to make much difference when someone runs a red light like happened at the intersection.
charlie says:
Ok for reducing the speed limit but no one has still answered the question….If a light goes on the fritz can police officers run it in a manual mode until the “experts” from DOT come…..If State Police or KDH Police had the ability to operate the light at the intersection manually, I believe the fatality would not have occurred.
Brandon says:
It is everybody’s fault. And I honestly think it leans more on the locals for driving too fast. We come down there to relax, the locals just get aggravated with the extra time it takes them and traffic. If you don’t like it MOVE!!
beach lover says:
Wow ! Colington Rd the busiest secondary Rd in the NC state not to mention the bypass there and the town of KDH cannot send Police there for malfunctioning traffic light !!!??? And with 180 cops for 20 mile strech of sand!!! Man they should be out there practicing EVERY DAY Yall !!! This is their job !! Oh wait rd blocks on Colington rd every week in the summer that is more important.How many folks have died at Colington RD in last 20 years ? Lower speed limit is just gonna piss people off and make some drive crazier . . .
Prince of Peeps says:
A knee-jerk reaction to a few squeaky wheels who want to punish good drivers rather than the ones at fault. Will a 35 mph speed limit stop drunk drivers from running red lights any better than 50 mph? If so, let’s ban all driving and cut traffic deaths to 0. (Makes as much sense as taking guns away from law abiding citizens because criminals misuse them.) A better solution is stricter laws to remove reckless drivers from our highways.
Daniel says:
@Brandon. Enjoy this moment of silence as we ponder how the education system failed you. .
KHer says:
If the lower limit gives drivers a split second longer to react and saves one life then the extra 5 minutes it will take me to get to work is well worth it.
As one who has responded to many traffic fatalities and serious injuries on 158 I welcome anything that might make a difference.
This highway hasn’t been a “bypass” in 25 years.
Steve says:
-5MPH = 1Min 20Sec per trip X two per day X 365 Days = 20.28 Hours per year. That is a lot of lost sleep in a year when you work three jobs to make end meet. Now I will probably die falling asleep behind the wheel.
Laura says:
Well, Steve, maybe you should move, according to Brandon.
By the way, Brandon, if we locals move, who will serve you your $8 bowl of crab bisque?
khawker says:
While we are left to ponder how educators have failed “Brandon”, lets let our minds hover over this morsel from the article:
“Jennings wrote that training police officers to reset malfunctioning lights would be impractical because problems can be more complicated and would require specialized training.
A town employee could be assigned to the job, but that also would require extensive training and certification.”
Not inclinded to point out the obvious, but since when did education and training of police officers and town employees become something to avoid? Again, the obvious fact that in a hurricane prone area where traffic lights go out pretty regularly and being so far from “Raleigh”, aka The Only Smart People In That Can Fix Traffic lights, wouldn’t it be to the advantage of the citizens of KDH to invest in a wee bit of education?
junkman says:
Another dumb move.
Sandy says:
@ Charlie…
It does not matter if the KDHPD has the ability to manually operate a light or not. What matters is that SOMEONE has enough leadership skills to convince someone else to step away from the dinner table and actually perform their job!
Andy says:
Knee jerk reaction that makes politicians feel good.
Mark Williamson says:
What a crock of crap, lowering the speed limit has nothing to do with fixing stupidity and poor driving!
Nags Header says:
Same answer as always from the OBX “officials”.
Punish everyone for the actions of a few.
Plastic bags anyone?
Mark Williamson says:
Oh, and up yours Brandon!
Fred says:
Oh, forgot to add the state just spent a boatload of $$$ to upgrade all of the traffic lights along the bypass to eliminate the left turn “yellow trap” so its already MUCH safer. The KDH town board doesn’t have the background or the education to make decisions regarding the operation and safety of a state maintained national highway.
Ridiculous says:
Accidents don’t occur as a result of speeding.
craig says:
I think they give way too many tickets as it is. Gonna take a lot of tourist dollars away from local business by giving more speeding tickets out. The more they give out the less the tourist spend.
Fred says:
This is a joke. Instead of delivering some baseless knee-jerk reaction, why don’t they consult the multitude of FHWA studies done by engineers on the subject..people with actual KNOWLEDGE on the subject, unlike town officials. This adds to the long list of the town’s recent incompetencies. But I guess KDH officials know how to keep us safe!
KDH Resident Evil says:
The point is moot. KDH has so many damn traffic lights already (and get ready for another one where they are building the Lowe’s) that you CAN’T get it up to 50 for any stretch for more than a minute or two.
Correction says:
The reducing of the speed limit was started way before “THE” Accident.
Speaking of “Accidents”. An Intoxicated Missy Marvin ran a solid red light and killed 4 teens. This recent one was an allegedly intoxicated man who ran a red light (alternate mode) and killed a person.
Seems by the logic of a few, there should be Police at intersections 24/7.
To those who feel too many citations are issued for violating speed laws, then maybe abiding by those laws should be followed. After all, Police do not arrest too many people for rape or murder. I mean, apples v oranges, but the principle is the same.
Law + Compliance = Freedom from being enforced, yes?
Frank Moore says:
As others have indicated nothing will fix drunk and stupid drivers. What this does, lowering the speed limit, is to make sure that all quotas will be met. The responsible thing is to train local employees, policeman or other, to put lights in manual mode until someone from NCDOT arrives to fix the light. What our town staff and commissioners have really done is covered their ass. After the next accident they will say they did all they could, “we lowered the speed limit”.
Mr. Logical says:
It is unclear from the article if the flahing red light was for bypass traffic or colington road traffic. One assumes it was on the less traveled Colington Rd and that the bypass light was flashing yellow. If that is the case, then the instigator of the accident was on colington road and reducing the speed limit on the bypass would have been of no use. Instead reduce the speed limit on colington road to 15 MPH. If the flashing red was for bypass traffic, then there is a bigger problem here involving common sense.
I wish I had a dollar for each time I have to brake on a daily basis for locals who pull out in front of me in traffic. I thought wanton disregard for oncoming traffic was part of the driver’s ed. curriculum here.
I’m sorry a life was lost, but this reaction is just stupid. BTW, how many DUI’s did the driver in question have previously and was the fatality wearing a seatbelt?
RnR says:
this is so stupid, i had other comments on this post but I guess I offended the wrong people…what happen to free speech.
Curious says:
I want to know if there’s going to be a feeder lane into the new Lowe’s just past the First St. light?
Sure doesn’t look like that’s what they’re installing.
Seriously NO FEEDER LANE FROM THE BYPASS FOR LOWE’S????
Who overlooked that necessity? If Lowe’s doesn’t want to pay for it the town should!
Jackie Harris says:
It seems that the KDH Board forgot that the Traffic lights are state property and controlled by DOT, how come NO one has even mentioned that the STATE POLICE are not involved when a traffic control device goes on the fritz?? It is state hwy. 158 no KDH 158, KDH should have kept there hands and mouth out of it!, Mr. Buske seems to think that he knows what is best for everyone, this is what led to the changing of the board last election and will happen again, when the board does not respond to what the TAXPAYERS want!!! Let the state controll and inforce the laws on State Highway’s.
Dazed and Confused says:
If they really want to make some easy revenue they should ask the state about amending the red light camera policy also. Then they wouldn’t have to patrol the area at all! Just download the pictures and send out the citations.
ekim says:
SOOOOO A fool runs a red light and took a life,And know everyone has to drive 45, ITS NOT GOING TO WORK. This sounds just like big Gov!
Tim says:
It’s meaningless but provides a nice speed trap for the unwary and unfamiliar. The problem is the intersection and red light runners, this reduction in speed will not stop or prevent that. The bad accident happened when the light was not working properly and flashing yellow, I went through it 20 min before the crash and I commented to the others in the car that flashing yellow was wrong, it should switch to flashing red all 4 ways when the light does not work, not yellow in 2 directions and flashing red in the others (Ocean Blvd aka Colington Rd). Make everyone stop when the light does not work – IT’s Not Rocket Science Confused
I don’t think there are many accidents from that intersection south because there are 4-5 traffic lights to slow you down.
bobby d says:
I think that it as been well stated by several people already that lower speed would not have had an effect on the accident last september. There is an obvious amount of apathy in the kdh police department that seems to go beyond the bickering and problems that i have noticed in articles in the past few months. i clearly remember that day and the lights were malfunctioning most of the day. that intersection is far from the busiest intersection in the state, but it is extremely busy and shouldn’t have been unattended for that amount of time.
a says:
This shall make the more commute even more of a nightmare. Thanks guys.
A says:
Having previously been in law enforcement for 15 years and investigated numerous vehicle accidents and many of them involving one or more fatalities,I have been following this story. First, the “mal-functioning” stop light was the blame, in reality, the light was doing what it is designed to do. If something interrupts the normal green,yellow, red cycle it reverts to flash mode so there is still traffic control. What about the numerous intersections on 158 that have only stop signs, would the accident still have occurred? Secondly, there was no mention of speed being the cause of the accident. Nothing was said about the speed of either vehicle. Thirdly,to control an intersection with that many travel lanes would require a minimum of two officers. Would the officers working the intersection caused a difference in an intoxicated drivers actions? Probably the only thing that would have done is caused him to turn on to a side street. The traffic could not have been that heavy at the time of the accident since it appears the driver coming off Colington Road did not have to stop for any vehicle in front of him at the flashing red light. There were no indications of skid marks from either vehicle prior to impact. If there had been skid marks, the speed of the vehicles could have been determined. Also, it appears no other vehicles were involved. I would have thought if the intersection was as busy as some have said, one or both of the vehicles would have struck other vehicles. Nothing was mentioned about checking the vehicle for a mechanical malfunction such as brakes or steering not working properly. It seems that none of the things listed in previous articles indicate the cause of the accident other than an intoxicated driver. You could put all the stop lights you want up,lower the speed limit to 25 mph and have five officers working the intersection and still an intoxicated driver doesn’t recognize any of this nor have the reaction time to avoid an accident. How many news videos have been shown of intoxicated drivers running into police officer and marked police vehicles on the highway?
A says:
One other comment that occurred to me. I have not read that there were any statistics presented to DOT to indicate that the speed in this area needed to be reduced. Did the commissioners even contact the police dept to get their input? All motor vehicle accident reports are sent to Raleigh. DOT,town commissioners or KDHPD could have requested facts and figures regarding accidents in this area to justify lowering the speed limit other than a commissioner(s) want it done.
Andrew says:
A^^^^^ is write about everything. but I can tell you traffic was average for that time of day. I was traveling 35 roughly and the truck that was hit was a car length in front of me maybe doing 2 or 3 mph faster. There were no skidmarks cuz the people in the truck didnt see it coming. I didnt see it coming. The man coming out of colington basically aired the intersection. thus why the running board on the passenger side was left untouched although the door and cab inches above it were caved in and ultimately led to the mans death. Its a tragedy but I agree with what you said. Just thought youd like to know the things you saiid you didnt like speed and such.
john says:
It’s about time! I hope it does eventually get reduced to 35mph. I wish I could say I was surprised by all those upset with the reduced speed limit, but I’m not. You are all probably the same people who turn left onto 158 and use turning lane as a merging lane. Hope they reduce the speed limit on nc12 to 25mph next!
jack holston says:
If 45mph is somehow better than 50, why not follow this logic and lower the speed limit to 15? We will all be a lot safer the the town a lot richer. How many more cops will we need to hand out all the additional tickets?
Allan2 says:
Stopping distance is a factor of several things and there is really only one variable which can be, or can be attempted to be controlled, and that is speed. The simple fact is that all other things being equal, this reduction would result in a shorter stopping distance of about 22 feet. I trust there are also statistical data on the numbers and kinds of accidents related to speed, traffic volume and the proximity of pedestrians. Higher speeds, more traffic and more walkers and bikers the more injury/deaths. The reduction is a no brainer IMO and the potential only other no brainer would be to vary the limit based on the season. I have spent many hours going up and down 158 during all times of the year. It seems to me one is more likely to be stopped in the dead of winter doing 60 than in the middle of July doing 65. Not only is the speed limit in need of being reduced, they need to increase enforcement
Nickrite says:
Un-freaking believable and so typical of the excessive regulation by the KDH commissioners. What do we expect when this last election we voted in a bunch of single issue candidates. This “solution” will cause more harm than good, I have nothing further to add as it has been said by many others. I have a suggestion for Brandon though, take up walking, I suggest an easterly direction, don’t stop, keep going.
KDHer says:
***Correction***and ***A***, THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for logic, common sense and experience. I completely agree with you both. Amazes me how freely and with such ignorance people speak on an issue without having all the facts. Thank you sincerely.
new to kdh says:
First let me say that if the police
would have done their job that night, we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.
Secondly…….Colington road IS NOT the busiest secondary route in NC. LOL, it is not even close to being the busiest.
Paul says:
Thank you A. Well put. You brought up the point that the suspect driver was coming from Colington Road to 158. The speed limit on 158 would have been irrelevant to this accident. This seems to have been missed by some people. And thank you Andrew for your comments.
If the speed limit was such a factor then should it not have been reduced when Melissa Marvin killed those four teenagers? She was in fact traveling on 158 at a high rate of speed and hit the car coming off Colington Road. Then again her being under the influence would have prevented her from paying attention to the speed limit.
Dare Co. Resident says:
Moral of the story to me is still: “Don’t buy your house next door to a large commercial tract.”
Sunny says:
Unfortunately lowering the speed limit will not help if those who feel it is their right to drive 65 , because it “has always been that way” and they feel if they can do it and not get caught that makes it alright. When the light turns yellow they speed up rather than slow down…than run the red light with several other cars following and thats ok too because they didn’t hit anyone or cause an accident. I travel the bypass daily and can drive 50 mph and have cars tailgating and swerving in and out of traffic going 65 or 70 and making the trip home a white knuckle experience for drivers who are obeying the laws. The police and courts are the only ones who can stop this and make the roads safer for everyone. Please stop giving “prayer for judgement” and dismissing charges that our police officers have taken the time to ticket drivers for. These childish adults will learn nothing if you don’t follow through on the punishment and just tell them don’t do it again. Wakeup…it doesn’t work with kids and it won’t work with childish adults either.
BeckieB says:
Lets think on this a minute. The speed limit now says 50mph, but most people do not drive 50, but 55 or 60. We have all seen this happening. So if they change the speed
to 45 mph, then they would drive 50 or 55, at least it might slow them down some. By the way, Brandon, it is people like you that give visitors a bad name.
ekim says:
Hey John & Allen 2 why dont you ride your bikes to work!
Tim Copeland says:
Seems to me that both major wrecks at that intersection were a result of drunk drivers, but we a concerned with speed limits? The last one the driver sailed through a flashing red light without stopping, but reducing the speed limit has to be the answer. A big thanks to NCDOT for not dropping the speed limit to 35mph like they were asked. I love this backwards logic, sort of like raising gas prices will save lives because we can’t afford to drive as much;)
Anonymous says:
Lowering the speed limit from 50mph to 45mph I don’t see the point. Wonder if the cops will observe it they don’t the 50mph. Plus they must not have turn siginals on their cruisers because they never use them. Hope there is plenty paper and ink for all the tickets they will write.
Native says:
Nobody wants to hear it, but the problem is we live on a tiny strip of land and there are way too many people trying to live here and, especially, vacation here. The town of KDH is more concerned with catering to tourists and their money than taking care of the locals. The most irritating aspect of this whole incident in particular is when you look at the KDH Board of Commissioners, none of them are natives. So many Yankees move to the Outer Banks complaining about how they hated where they lived, but they can’t wait to make this place just like where they’re running away from. The bottom line is the Outer Banks itself would be better off if we had fewer vacationers.
Tourista says:
I remember when this roadway used to actually bypass a slower, more congested area. Back then, it was already known as A**H*** Alley due to the driving behavior.
Everybody needs to just slow down and get there safely while enjoying a beautiful day.
Sue says:
Anyone who believes that driving more slowly does not reduce highway fatalities is an idiot. A driver, whether drunk or sober, has more reaction time and a better survival chance if there is a collision. For those of you worried about not getting to work on time, set your damned alarm clocks ten minutes earlier. Unbelievable.
Really??? says:
No, back in the day, in the off season, the Bypass speed limit was INCREASED to 55 and yes they changed the signs to reflect 55. As this beach has exploded since the 80′s when I was learning to drive as a teenager, it was a nice quiet, less crime place to live and raise a family.
obxer says:
With the congestion in the summer and now the slower speed limit the bottleneck traffic will be backed up for miles and miles. As a local I will take Bay Dr or stay home. Not worth the hassel. It could take an hour to go a couple of miles. Thanks NCDOT for not agreeing to the 35mph or it would be a worst disaster.
There will probably be more wrecks now for angry drivers trying to get thru slow moving traffic.
skiffguide says:
Native has it right- there are too many rats in this cage and I think everyone knows what happens when there are- They kill one another. But it’s a free country or sort of- so, it’s more crowded than last year, and less crowded than next year. If you think it’s bad now- give it about 20 more years. The Outer Banks is only about 40% built out. There are thousands of vacant lots to be built on yet. Ever notice that the biggest real estate developers ever to put a shovel in the sand have moved to the Carribean, or back to Raleigh, or Virginia. They can’t even stand what they created. There are people living here and elsewhere who will not rest until every grain of sand is paved over, and every tree is converted to sawdust.
KDH gal says:
I applaud Sunny’s remarks; she is right on the mark. Those who deliberately run yellow lights are the worst. Personally, I enjoy watching most of the tail-gaters and speeders end up one or two cars in front of me at the next light. Whoa…they got to that light faster than I did!
NOW, a revelation for all the cop bashers….NONE OF THE MONEY FROM TRAFFIC CITATIONS goes to the towns. The money goes to the State and is used to fund/support the court system and other related state functions. Kinda bursts the bubbles of the ‘speed traps’ and ‘ticket quotas’ crowd.
Sandy says:
Thanks KDH Gal.
I was not sure where the money went so thanks for clearing it up. So I guess since the town does not get the money, the officers are writting tickets and stopping people for a license plate out just for the fun of it.
lemonshirt says:
The speedlimit needs to be consistent from one end of the bypass to the other. …not different in different municipalities.
Charles Dail says:
Hey KDH,the next time the lights go out or any other traffic problem,that you can’t get your people to handle,call me! I’ve got a team of vol.firemen that will put their vest and helmet on,put out the orange cones,and safely get the job done as long as it takes. thanks for the new business opportunity.
KDH gal says:
@Sandy,
Could it be they are writing tickets because people are breaking the law?
It’s rather childish to blame the police for your choice to speed or break other laws.
Sandy says:
@ KDH Gal
I don’t have a problem with someone getting ticket when they have broken the law….and really deserve it.
What I do have a problem with is Meth Labs popping up everywhere, cars and homes being broken into at an alarming rate, gang activity on the rise etc… and, while all this is happening, KDHPD officers are sitting on the side of the road for HOURS at a time SEVERAL DAYS a week with a radar gun pointed at passing motorists.
If they are not doing that, then they are sitting up checking stations on Colington Road, 1st street, Bay Drive, 3rd street etc…I know people who go through check points 2 or 3 days a week.
And please spare me the old saying “if you’ve done nothing wrong, why worry about a check point”. No, I have done nothing wrong; I would just like our police officers to act like REAL POLICE OFFICERS and not meter maids looking for a license plate light out.
I think that for all of the police officers who believe that writing a window tint ticket is real police work, they should spend a few weeks in Raleigh, Charlotte or even Elizabeth City to see what a real police officer does.
Bwahaha says:
^at that guy.
Your local Po-Po have dedicated traffic enforcement/safety units. These traffic specific Officers are paid for by the State to enforce traffic violations. Then, there are the officers tasked with call answering and patrol. Heck, your Sheriff now has dedicated Traffic units now, too.
Perception is simply speculation when one knows no different. Educate yourself, get involved by asking questions and learning about what it is you really see.
Sandy says:
@Bwahaha…
I’m not a guy but that is beside the point.
Sooooo, you’re saying that during our time of the biggest economic uncertainty we have ever seen, we have a dedicated group of officers that are doing NOTHING but stopping people and writing tickets for too much tint when the public can’t even begin to see inside of a police car, because of their tint.
It would seem to me the state would/could save money and hire meter maids to perform this service. They would probably be more efficient and the public wouldn’t expect the same service from them as they expect from real police officers.
As far as my perception versus reality and asking questions…. I have no problem with a police officer writing a kid a ticket for texting while driving however; I do have a problem when that same officer is driving down the road, talking on his cell phone while typing on his computer.
The reality is that the police officer is doing the same thing, if not worse than the teenager was doing.
The perception is that local police can do anything they want, including break the law so long as they get that quota.
I have personally seen an officer driving, talking and typing at the same time and can only imagine that he is attempting to steer with his knees, which I am pretty sure the state does not provide training for.
Bwahaha says:
So, be a part of the solution, not part of the Constant Complaining Coalition.
Though, it is nice of you to demean their duties to simply writing tint tickets. Never mind the reckless, DWI, revoked drivers, no insurance, etc etc etc type drivers. It’s the tint. Look up the statute and it’s exemptions, then get back to me when you want to complain about the darkness of tint. Cops don’t write the Laws. Cops simply enforce laws that the legislators you voted into Office write.
If you would read the Laws governing this state, it’s citizens and it’s officers, you would cease at assuming, and learn something.
But, I digress. That would be too simple. You would not be satisfied with facts, only your assumptions about quotas, illegal tinting, performance of duty, etc.
But, I digress, again. Simple internet bravado is how you relieve the stress brought upon you by what you think. Rather than calling, inquiring, offering your concerns as a citizen to those that can change things, explain things or even confirm things you are concerned with.
James says:
It’s obvious that KDH has become the commerce section of the outer banks. Good or bad this has caused traffic issues to arise. In most cases when you enter the business section of any area the speed limit is usually reduced. Of course the reason for this is the entering and exiting of vehicles from businesses. Since safety is way more important then peoples complaints about getting tickets. Guess the best answer is don’t break the law then the ticket issue will no longer be a problem.
South of John's Ditch says:
Speed Trap waiting to happen! Boy I sure hope someone gets our new BOC for KDH up to speed quick before they do more of this stupid stuff.
lived here my whole life says:
I know lowering the speed limit will help decrease the accidents here in the summer. People can’t drive and a slower speed gives you a little more time to react to the other people’s idiocy. Still, it really doesn’t have much to do with this accident because no one was really going that fast. The lights yes are partially to blame. I think that officers should be trained on how to reset them. I don’t blame them for not wanting to stand in the intersection, but they should take the classes to fix the lights. That is a very dangerous intersection and used very often. I go through it from the beach road at 2am in the summer to get home from work and am afraid even when the light does work.
The real problem was caused by a driver charged with DUI. No amount of speed reduction or light maintenance will change that.
On a side note to vacationers. Please don’t bash the locals and their driving. We work hard to make your vacation better. I have seen way more accidents caused by tourists in the summer then caused by locals. Please drive safe and watch out for those around you.
G says:
YAY! More speeding tickets for going 5 miles over the limit. Now their even pulling people over for legal tint. What is happening?
Dumb tourists. Learn how to drive. Once they go on vacation they lose all their driving skills. Eff a yew.