U.S. 278 crackdown unwarranted

Law enforcement needs to give explanations with respect to two different car accidents resulting in two deaths recently on U.S. 278 in Bluffton and why these accidents commanded a subsequent crackdown on traffic enforcement by the Bluffton Police Department and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Both accidents involved a car trying to make a left turn at U.S. 278 intersections. To use these accidents as the reason to conduct a crackdown smells like nothing more than revenue collection. The accident at Buck Island Road was said to be caused by a stalled engine when the driver was trying to turn left. If that is incorrect, law enforcement should report the facts.

Targeting texting while driving and moving violations in response to the two deaths is a ruse to collect money. Drivers stopped by police put traffic on U.S. 278 in a perilous situation with drivers trying to maneuver with stopped vehicles along the corridor.

Drivers who receive speeding citations are at increased risk of receiving subsequent speeding citations, suggesting that speeding citations have a limited effect on deterrence.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 12:26 PM with the headline "U.S. 278 crackdown unwarranted."