NY - State police to crack down on speeders, drunk drivers

[StlouisX50]

State police to crack down on speeders, drunk drivers
BY JOHN VALENTI
john.valenti@newsday.com

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March 1, 2007, 11:59 AM EST
Following a recent rash of fatal accidents on the Southern State Parkway, including two last month that claimed four lives after cars struck the same bridge overpass in Baldwin, state police have announced a "safety initiative" that would crackdown on speeders, aggressive drivers and drunk drivers on the parkway.

"The purpose of this safety initiative is to save lives and to raise public awareness of the dangers of speeding, aggressive driving and driving while intoxicated," said Maj. Walter Heesch, commander of the State Police Troop L barracks.

The crackdown is in effective immediately.

According to Heech, troopers will "saturate" the Southern State with "dedicated patrols and enforcement details."

"If you are ignoring any vehicle and traffic laws," Heesch said, "you will be ticketed."

Since Jan. 1 there have been 10 fatal accidents on a 10-mile stretch of the Southern State -- from Exit 17 in Nassau County to Exit 32 in Suffolk -- that has been dubbed "Blood Alley."

Two of the most horrific crashes occurred at Exit 20, Grand Avenue, in Baldwin.

On Feb. 4 a BMW carrying three men flew off the roadway and crashed airborne into the bridge overpass there, killing all three.

On Feb. 24 a Mercedes 500sl, with only the driver aboard, crashed into the bridge, obliterating the car and bursting into flames. The man was killed.

As part of the "safety initiative," the New York State Department of Transportation will set up variable message signs along the parkway to remind drivers that a "strict enforcement effort" is underway.

"While changes in driver behavior are difficult to measure, promoting safe driving habits through strict enforcement will create safer roadways," Heesch said. "Education and awareness, along with deploying a highly-visible enforcement effort, contribute to our ultimate goal of eliminating fatal accidents on our highways."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that two-thirds of all traffic-related fatalities are caused by speeding, aggressive driving and driving while intoxicated.

[lukenosewalker]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that two-thirds of all traffic-related fatalities are caused by speeding, aggressive driving and driving while intoxicated.

What percentage of the two-thirds is related to speeding and what percentage is related to driving while intoxicated? I'd like to see a further breakdown of that statistic.

[erickonphoenix]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that two-thirds of all traffic-related fatalities are caused by speeding, aggressive driving and driving while intoxicated.

What percentage of the two-thirds is related to speeding and what percentage is related to driving while intoxicated? I'd like to see a further breakdown of that statistic.

I did a research paper in college on traffic accident statistics in Texas between 1985 and 1989. I found that in Texas, statistics were not segmented into speeding, DWI, road conditions, time of day, mechanical issues, or acts of god.

Say a DWI is driving 20+ PSL at night along a curved road while it's raining. His front CV joint seperates from the axel causing the wheel collapse and he skids off the highway hits a tree and is killed.

The investigation will likely say "Principle cause: Mechanical failure, stong contributing causes: intoxicated driver, speeding and road conditions. This one accident will feed the seperate fatality statistics for speeding, DWI, weather and mechanical issues. Even though without a mechanical failure there would have been no accident. What this means is in Texas many speed related fatalities are not speed related at all. According to the way Texas statistics are recorded if all cars that crash on a given road are red then driving red cars is dangerous.

[Last300]

I was driving that morning when they had that crash Feb4 on the Southern State, and I was on the Southern State this past weekend when they were running the speed enforcement. Then Someone I knew that was a State Trooper who was on that detail confirmed they were pulling people laugh and right, even for doing 75mph, just because there were signs saying that speed enforcement was in effect and they still sped. If you run into this state trooper I know, he is not going to have mercy,lol,