Sandy Springs isn't the only city seeing an increase in motorists driving like they are competing in the NASCAR Cup Series on roadways clear of traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Smyrna police report quite a few drivers with lead feet are disregarding posted speed limit signs and putting the pedal to the metal.
Within the last week, officers with the department’s Selected Traffic Enforcement Program have written an estimated 50 to 100 tickets along the East-West Connector, said spokesman Sgt. Louis Defense.
“We were noticing that the speeds throughout the city were steadily increasing, so we had to go back to doing some enforcement.”
The East-West Connector has a posted speed limit of 45 mph, and the average offender is driving 75 mph, Defense said. On Wednesday, the department posted on its Facebook page that one driver was pulled over after officers clocked the car going 83 mph.
“The speeds are going up, but we are here to make sure that they understand the speed limit is 45 mph and it is not just a suggestion,” the department said.
Defense said with fewer cars on the road, some drivers are taking the opportunity to see how fast they can go.
“It’s not an excuse to drive faster,” he said. “We need people to maintain the speed limit so if there’s an accident, the likelihood of a death is decreased.”
Defense said Smyrna officers are conducting enforcement on roadways where they experience the highest number of serious-injury crashes: Atlanta Road at Windy Hill Road, Spring Road at Cumberland Boulevard and along South Cobb Drive.
Defense said the department will soon launch a “Technology, Education and Enforcement” program to reverse the trend of drivers putting lives at risk by driving at dangerous speeds. The initiative will include using social media, roadway signage and, of course, enforcement to encourage drivers to slow down.
“We hope that this will correlate with less serious accidents and fatalities,” Defense said. “We are just trying to keep people safe.”
