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Editorial: High-speed drivers on New Hampshire roads
By Andrew Vrees and the Editorial Board
Editorial: High-speed drivers on New Hampshire roads
SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD, WMUR PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER ANDREW ANDREW VREES. IS IT ME OR DOES IT FEEL LIKE MANY OF US ARE MOSTLY INNOCENT EXTRAS IN AN ACTION MOVIE WHEN WE’RE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THESE DAYS? OR MAYBE IT’S THE DRIVERS WHO THINK THEY’RE PLAYING A VIDEO GAME AS THEY’RE BARRELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH BLATANT DISREGARD FOR EVERYONE. BUT THEMSELVES. THE SPEEDING PROBLEM HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND EVERYWHERE ELSE IS GETTING WORSE. YOU SEE IT EVERY DAY, NO MATTER WHAT HIGHWAY YOU’RE DRIVING, AND NO MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU’RE GOING, SOMEONE IS ALWAYS GOING FASTER, WEAVING IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC, FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS FOR YOU TO GET OUT OF THEIR WAY AND TAILING WAY TOO CLOSELY. WITHIN THE LAST YEAR HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, STATE POLICE SAY MORE THAN 100 DRIVERS WERE PULLED OVER AND TICKETED FOR DRIVING 100 MILES AN HOUR OR MORE. TEN OF THEM WERE STOPPED FOR DRIVING BETWEEN 110 AND 120 THIS WEEK, A DRIVER WAS ARRESTED AFTER POLICE SAY HE WAS TRAVELING MORE THAN 100 MILES AN HOUR DOWN INTERSTATE 93 BEFORE HE WAS STOPPED ON 293, WHERE POLICE DEPLOYED STOP STICKS ON 93. IN SALEM RECENTLY, 56 DRIVERS WERE STOPPED FOR SPEEDING IN JUST THREE HOURS. SEVEN OF THEM WERE TRAVELING OVER 100, INCLUDING ONE WHO WAS SPOTTED BY THE STATE POLICE AIRCRAFT GOING 128 MILES AN HOUR. I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. THEY’RE ALL FROM MASSACHUSETTS. THEY ARE NOT. THIS WHOLE PHENOMENON IS RELATIVELY NEW. THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY CITES FEDERAL DATA SHOWING RISKY DRIVING STARTED DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHEN THERE WAS LESS TRAFFIC, AND IT NEVER SLOWED DOWN. IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY TO GET ANYWHERE THIS WEEKEND, YOU BETTER STEP ON THE BRAKES. THE SOLAR ECLIPSE IS EXPECTED TO BRING A NUMBER OF DRIVERS TO PLACES ALL OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE ROADS WILL BE CROWDED AND TRAFFIC WILL BE SLOW IN SPOTS, ESPECIALLY ON BACK ROADS. ALL OF THAT TRAFFIC MAY NOT SLOW DOWN SOME DRIVERS WHO THINK SPEED LIMITS ARE A SUGGESTION. BUT STATE POLICE SAY BECAUSE OF INCREASING TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS AND CRASHES, DRIVERS CAN EXPECT MORE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR. 18 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN TRAFFIC RELATED CRASHES SO FAR THIS YEAR. ONE DEATH IS TOO MANY. SEND YOUR COMMENTS T
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Editorial: High-speed drivers on New Hampshire roads
By Andrew Vrees and the Editorial Board
Is it me, or does it feel like many of us are mostly innocent extras in an action movie when we're driving down the highway these days?Or maybe it’s the drivers who think they are playing a video game as they’re barreling down the interstate with blatant disregard for everyone but themselves.The speeding problem here in New Hampshire and everywhere else is getting worse.You see it every day, no matter what highway you’re driving and no matter what speed you are going. Someone is always going faster, weaving in and out of traffic, flashing their lights for you to get out of their way and tailing you way too closely. Within the last year here in New Hampshire, state police say more than 100 drivers were pulled over and ticketed for driving 100 mph or more. Ten of them were stopped for driving between 110 and 120. This week, a driver was arrested after police say he was travelling more than 100 mph on Interstate 93 before he was stopped on 293, where police deployed stop sticks. On 93 in Salem recently, 56 drivers were stopped for speeding in just three hours. Seven of them were travelling over 100, including one who was spotted by the state police aircraft going 128.I know what you’re thinking: They’re all from Massachusetts. They are not.This whole phenomenon is relatively new. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety cites federal data showing risky driving started during the pandemic when there was less traffic, and it never slowed down.If you are in a hurry to get anywhere this weekend, you'd better step on the brakes.The solar eclipse is expected to bring a number of drivers to places all over northern New England. The roads will be crowded, and traffic will be slow in spots, especially on back roads.All of that traffic may not slow down those drivers who think speed limits are a suggestion, but State Police say because of the increasing traffic violations and crashes, drivers can expect more traffic enforcement on the ground and in the air. Eighteen people have died in traffic related crashes so far this year. One death is too many.

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Is it me, or does it feel like many of us are mostly innocent extras in an action movie when we're driving down the highway these days?

Or maybe it’s the drivers who think they are playing a video game as they’re barreling down the interstate with blatant disregard for everyone but themselves.

The speeding problem here in New Hampshire and everywhere else is getting worse.

You see it every day, no matter what highway you’re driving and no matter what speed you are going. Someone is always going faster, weaving in and out of traffic, flashing their lights for you to get out of their way and tailing you way too closely.

Within the last year here in New Hampshire, state police say more than 100 drivers were pulled over and ticketed for driving 100 mph or more. Ten of them were stopped for driving between 110 and 120.

This week, a driver was arrested after police say he was travelling more than 100 mph on Interstate 93 before he was stopped on 293, where police deployed stop sticks.

On 93 in Salem recently, 56 drivers were stopped for speeding in just three hours. Seven of them were travelling over 100, including one who was spotted by the state police aircraft going 128.

I know what you’re thinking: They’re all from Massachusetts. They are not.

This whole phenomenon is relatively new. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety cites federal data showing risky driving started during the pandemic when there was less traffic, and it never slowed down.

If you are in a hurry to get anywhere this weekend, you'd better step on the brakes.

The solar eclipse is expected to bring a number of drivers to places all over northern New England. The roads will be crowded, and traffic will be slow in spots, especially on back roads.

All of that traffic may not slow down those drivers who think speed limits are a suggestion, but State Police say because of the increasing traffic violations and crashes, drivers can expect more traffic enforcement on the ground and in the air.

Eighteen people have died in traffic related crashes so far this year. One death is too many.