Everyone does it and it’s not a big deal.
The driver, not the government, should decide how fast we drive.
Those key findings in a new AAA survey being seen on roads across the Upper Cumberland. Livingston Police Chief Ray Smith said residents to not understand the danger.
“Life or death every day, speed plays a major part in it every single day,” Smith said. “It’s never okay. Road conditions, the ability of the driver, the area that they’re driving in being congested, residential, high density traffic area, speed is not okay at any time.”
Gainesboro Chief of Police Michael Smith said approximately 80 percent of the speeding complaints handled by his department originate from residents concerned about vehicles traveling through residential streets.
“I would tell them that the black and white signs with numbers on them is there for a reason,” Michael Smith said. “Well, the only thing I can say is and that’s from all aspects of all emergency services, if you like being at home with your loved ones, you need to obey the traffic laws, they’re there for a reason.”
Ray Smith said the issue is most prevalent during early morning and late evening hours when motorists are rushing through school zones and shift changes.
Michael Smith said drivers often believe they will not be stopped unless they are traveling at least 10 miles per hour over the posted limit. Ray Smith said motorists frequently cite a lack of time or the need to reach a destination quickly as the primary excuses for exceeding the speed limit.
“We need to be more planned out our time and make sure we leave just a few minutes early, that way we can better get there without having to speed to be a part of it and being on time,” Ray Smith said. “It’s just congestion, a lot of congestion now early in the mornings.”
Ray Smith said while speed has always been a factor in traffic safety, the sheer volume of drivers on the road today has made the environment more congested than in previous decades.
The new AAA survey found 49 percent of residents believe it is safer to stay in the flow of traffic, no matter the speed, than follow the speed limit.