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photo by Marcus Frazier
Motorist Albert Townsend of Ontario, Canada, gases up at Walmart Thursday. Local law enforcement is setting up checks points throughout the area to keep the roads safe for motorists such as Townesnd.
Law enforcement watching traffic closely
Published Friday, November 28, 2008
VIDALIA — Auto club AAA has projected that 33.2 million Americans will take to the highways this holiday weekend, and local officials are working to make sure that they obey the laws of the road in the Miss-Lou.
Vidalia Police Chief Ronnie G. “Tapper” Hendricks said the Vidalia police will double up their usual patrols.
“There is going to be a lot of traffic on the highway,” Hendricks said. “Carter Street is very congested.”
The Vidalia Police will especially be looking for seat belt and child restraint violations, Hendricks said.
Though Thanksgiving is not a holiday associated with heavy drinking, officials will also keep an eye out for drinking and driving violations.
“There are a lot of people from out of town, and they like to have a good time and social drink, and we just want to make sure they do not get on our highways and jeopardize anyone’s safety,” Hendricks said. “It’s not to hurt them it’s to help them.”
In Adams County, Sheriff Ronny Brown said because the sheriff’s office has received a special grant from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to crack down on such violations, deputies will set up roadblocks to check for seat belt and DUI violations.
“We just have extra patrols out and want everybody to have a safe holiday,” Brown said.
Likewise, Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said city officers will have an eye out especially for erratic driving.
“We have made it without a serious accident the last few holidays, and we plan to continue that,” Mullins said.
Comments
Posted by Suntanned_Superman (anonymous) on November 28, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps I'm missing something here, but I really fail to see how the seatbelt or helmet statutes (which should only be applied to persons under the age of majority) are anything more than a tool for revenue generation. If you choose to drive or cycle without appropriate safety equipment, then so be it. It's kinda like choosing to eat meat that has not been completely cooked -- perhaps not the wisest choice, but a completely PERSONAL preference.
Personally, I wear my helmet when riding my bike and forego the seatbelt when driving my car. I wear the helmet b/c it helps to keep me safe from people who toss out crap while I'm behind them; I don't wear the seatbelt b/c I don't want to. Somewhere along the line, the auto industry also gave seatbelts the middle finger when they stopped installing the automatic seatbelts back in the early 90's. People didn't want them & car makers realized this but some idiot do-gooder figured they knew better and got enough idiot do-gooders together and decided that the public-at-large needed guidance and here come *koff koff* mandatory seatbelt/helmet laws aimed at saving people who must be endangering other drivers/bikers by not wearing this junk.
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The problem in the world today is communication. Too much communication.
----Homer Simpson
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on November 28, 2008 at 7:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
a seatbelt saved my life. i am glad i had it on. wouldn't ever recommend not wearing one, for any reason.
I my case, the seat belt in this world did save me.
Not wearing a seatbelt is an invitation to injury or death.
Posted by hitchcock (anonymous) on November 30, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Bobaloo I agree 100% I was also in a bad wreck the police & doctors all said the seatbelt is what saved me. Sure the belt bruised but, we've all had bruises. The best feeling in the world is to WALK out of a hospital totally uninjured when the hospital staff had been alerted before I arrived. If anyone wants to get in my car they can expect to buckle up or walk it's as simple as that.
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