Traffic Safety a Matter of Life and Death : Police Do Well to Crack Down on Dangerous Drivers as School Year Gets Underway

The police crackdown on speeders and other erring motorists in several Orange County communities is warranted and welcome.

School resumed this month, but for too many drivers the signs to slow down when children are present are ignored, if they are seen at all. A patrol car, cruising or stopped, could be just the reminder a driver needs to take the foot off the gas.

Fountain Valley is one of the departments cracking down on motorists. In that city, six people have died in traffic accidents in the last 12 months, the most ever in one year.

As Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Kevin McKeown aptly said, “People are dying on the street, and fatal traffic accidents are preventable.”

Last month two 16-year-olds from Fountain Valley High School were killed when their car hit another auto, smashed into a tree and skidded into a utility pole. Police said the car was speeding. One of the four occupants was reported to have been on his way to a driver’s education class.

Several weeks later, in Westminster, three people, aged 20 and 21, were killed when a car driven by a 22-year-old smashed into a pole. Police said the car had been going about 85 m.p.h.

The litany of excuses drivers have been giving to Fountain Valley police on traffic duty has been familiar--and lame. Some drivers denied speeding; one said he sped up only to change lanes; another said the car’s speedometer was broken.

On one morning near Mile Square Regional Park, one officer used a radar gun to measure motorists’ speeds, while three other police officers in patrol cars stopped speeders. In half an hour, nine tickets were issued; some drivers were going faster than 60 m.p.h. on a street with a 45 m.p.h. limit.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Ana and Irvine police departments have also beefed up traffic patrols, paying particular attention to areas near schools.

Police crackdowns on speeding are needed too often and their effects unfortunately do not last as long as they should. Motorists should also realize that police, while effective in deterring traffic violations at least temporarily, could be put to better use elsewhere. A policeman on traffic duty is one less available to respond to violent crimes.

Unlike violent crime, the problem of traffic violations is easily improved. All motorists have to do is think when they get behind the wheel. A signal before changing lanes, less speed and common courtesy can improve traffic safety.