LETTER: Harsher penalties for local speeders
February 13, 2022 - 9:00 pm
The Review-Journal recently reported that local police issued 4,400 tickets for drivers going more than 100 mph in 2020 and 5,100 such tickets in 2021. This comes as no surprise to any sane driver who travels Interstate 215 west to or from Interstate 15 and each day witnesses cars reaching that speed. And from what I can tell, most apparently have inoperative turn signals as they weave in and out from lane to lane.
My grandmother repeatedly said, ‘If you don’t have a penalty you don’t have a law.” Well, the penalty for speeding is fines. See the billboard? “We fix traffic tickets.” The true consequences of speeding are well known. Fines are obviously not enough.
How about something more draconian for those going more than 80 mph or 90 mph, let alone 100. First ticket, notify the insurance company for a mandatory increase. Second ticket, drivers lose their insurance for three months. Third ticket, lost license for a year. And rescind the Legislature’s pampering decree that provides no true enforcement until traffic tickets reach an aggregate of $5,000.