Tickets to Drive Home a Holiday Message : CHP Crackdown on Speeders in South County Is Aimed at Boosting Road Safety

Highway Patrol officers said they were increasingly concerned about speeding along Interstate 5 in South County, a problem exacerbated by the elimination of center dividers and shoulders because of highway construction. They were particularly worried about the southbound grade in San Clemente, where the average speed was said to be 70 m.p.h. So they decided to send a message.

As a result, the holiday season got off with a wake-up call for hundreds of motorists on Dec. 7, when a task force of Highway Patrol officers issued speeding tickets from early morning to midafternoon. Targeting both sides of the freeway, the officers issued between 300 and 400 citations for speeding and seat-belt violations. In all, some 15 patrol cars were used.

According to one ticketed motorist, “People were stacked up along the side of the road; I find it highly ironic that it happened the day after Orange County declares bankruptcy.”

The speed crackdown over an 8 1/2-hour period did send a message. It was similar to one delivered earlier this year when more than 400 tickets were issued over four hours, resulting in a massive slowdown by wary motorists the next day.

The crackdown this month was possible fiscally by adjusting shifts of CHP volunteers who obviously recognized the importance of highway safety.

Even though speed limits are widely disregarded, the law is the law. One officer pointed out the obvious problems of controlling a vehicle traveling at high speeds.

The safety message is especially important over the holiday season, when people are rushing around trying to get everything done.

The Highway Patrol crackdowns may have inconvenienced some, but they also contained an important message about traffic safety. In the end, they are designed to remind people that speed limits are in place to help people arrive at their destinations safely.