ACCIDENTS KEEP PILING UP

[glhs837]

How about the Police do their job and cruise around looking for this BS

Because then every time there is a shooting, they catch an earful about how if they didn't waste time giving tickets they could save a life. Thats why you generally see traffic enforcement on Sat or Sunday morning when your miscreants are asleep. And they can try rack up some points towards getting more enforcement grant money that pays for overtime to be spent on enforcement. Sort of a self licking ice cream cone. Doesnt really make anyone safer but all involved get good press release material.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Well, for the cameras, buy a bike rack if they can't see one letter you're set.

For the idiot drivers? "You can't fix Stupid"

Having gone through DC recently I'd say that the drivers up there were better than here in St. Marys county. Sadly.

Hell the drivers in New Jersey are better than the ones in SOMD

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Enforcement. With officers. Points on licences, fines in excess of 100 or 200 dollars. Ticket failure to yield. Ticket cell phone drivers. Far more crashes from those things than speeding or red lights.

Phone confiscation similar to a red flag gun law!

 

[GregV814]

2 points:

1) are we going to enforce dead tags anytime soon? No?????
2) Sheriff Shortsheet and his staff may have caused a minor problem. Deputies yearly evaluations now include number of complaints made about a Deputy that preceding year. THE MAGIC NUMBER TO GET ONE PASSED OVER for promotion is 5 complaints. REGARDLESS OF THE VALIDITY, KIND OF COMPLAINT AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
Scenario: A Deputy gives a fine upstanding dirtball a speeding/no license in possession violation at 3am in the hood. Oh! he didn't wish the violator "happy motoring" so Johnny Jerk complains. Its investigated and no corrective action is needed, but still remains on the Deputys record.

So.......why stop anybody? Yeah, that's an exaggeration , but the rules are the same.

 

[glhs837]

Phone confiscation similar to a red flag gun law!

Nope, just a $200 fine for being caught with it in your hand. B-pillar mounted left and right looking dashcam on the cruiser that records a one minute loop that freeze when the trooper hits the button. "Here's your citation, Sir or Ma'am and here's the video the judge will see if you decide to fight the ticket".

Like block the box and "avoiding a traffic control device" tickets, it doesnt take many for the word to get out.

 

[GregV814]

Nope, just a $200 fine for being caught with it in your hand. B-pillar mounted left and right looking dashcam on the cruiser that records a one minute loop that freeze when the trooper hits the button. "Here's your citation, Sir or Ma'am and here's the video the judge will see if you decide to fight the ticket".

Like block the box and "avoiding a traffic control device" tickets, it doesnt take many for the word to get out.

what if they dont have a license? huh huh huh??? what if theyre deaf? huh huh huh? what if the car was jacked and the driver is a non-binary "migrant"? huh huh huh?

 

[glhs837]

what if they dont have a license? huh huh huh??? what if theyre deaf? huh huh huh? what if the car was jacked and the driver is a non-binary "migrant"? huh huh huh?

1. Tase
2. Use ASL to say "I"m going to tase you now" then tase.
3. Douse in gas, then stand back to a safe distance and tase.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

Texting and driving?

You are right. Yeah, I think it is mainly texting & driving. I know the folks in Law Enforcement continue to claim it is mainly drugged driving. I am not saying drugged driving doesn't exist. Sure it does. But, I am very confident texting and driving is the main culprit. When I stop at a traffic light I try to be in the middle. Sitting at the light and looking around. I can usually see someone on the phone. Sometimes the cross traffic that has the green light, I can see it there too. I guess Law Enforcement gets as many as they can.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

So speeders pay and my taxes don't go up. OK by me.

I think you forget what State you are in. This is Maryland. You pay. Pay again. and then pay some more. And then the State checks to see what you have left for the next tax increase. I noticed during the testimony for the Speed Cameras Commissioner Hewitt had to correct the LT in the Sheriff's Office a few times. He said that the money from the Speed Cameras is not "revenue". I guess it is not politically correct to call it revenue for some reason. The testimony made me raise an eyebrow.

In time, I fully expect to see Speed Cameras to extend beyond the "School Zones" and up and down from the middle of 235 and expand to the North. The State legislators will have to rubber stamp it... I mean vote it in to law. But, it will eventually occur. Everyone knows "School Zones" are a feel good measure that was assumed that the public would accept. They did.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

So... what is the solution? Solution to all of the distracted driving, aggressive driving, red light running, and speeding.

Sheriff Cameron used to have a Highway Safety Commitee that addresses Highway Safety issues. So far, Sheriff Hall does not. At one time, there was a State Regional Highway Safety Board in Loveville at the State Admin office. Due to budget cuts, it was moved way North to another County. For the continued extensive problems we have on our roads, the amount of Law Enforcement to address the issue on a continous basis does not meet the demand.

 

[glhs837]

You are right. Yeah, I think it is mainly texting & driving. I know the folks in Law Enforcement continue to claim it is mainly drugged driving. I am not saying drugged driving doesn't exist. Sure it does. But, I am very confident texting and driving is the main culprit. When I stop at a traffic light I try to be in the middle. Sitting at the light and looking around. I can usually see someone on the phone. Sometimes the cross traffic that has the green light, I can see it there too. I guess Law Enforcement gets as many as they can.

Wife and I play the game drunk or cell phone all the time behind people. They exhibit a lot of the same characteristics, but at 10:00 a.m it's a pretty safe bet. It's a cell phone that's causing them to drift from side to side and over correct or under correct in corners. But when I'm on the bike I see them all the time. My bike's fairly tall so I'm looking down into all the cars and most of the smaller SUVs

 

[glhs837]

I think you forget what State you are in. This is Maryland. You pay. Pay again. and then pay some more. And then the State checks to see what you have left for the next tax increase. I noticed during the testimony for the Speed Cameras Commissioner Hewitt had to correct the LT in the Sheriff's Office a few times. He said that the money from the Speed Cameras is not "revenue". I guess it is not politically correct to call it revenue for some reason. The testimony made me raise an eyebrow.

In time, I fully expect to see Speed Cameras to extend beyond the "School Zones" and up and down from the middle of 235 and expand to the North. The State legislators will have to rubber stamp it... I mean vote it in to law. But, it will eventually occur. Everyone knows "School Zones" are a feel good measure that was assumed that the public would accept. They did.

So far only a few places have gotten the dispensation to go beyond school zones. 210 was the first because of its reputation is a death highway. I think Montgomery county just got it, although there's might be restricted to residential neighborhoods

 

[3CATSAILOR]

So far only a few places have gotten the dispensation to go beyond school zones. 210 was the first because of its reputation is a death highway. I think Montgomery county just got it, although there's might be restricted to residential neighborhoods

I agree. I don't think the expansion will be any time soon for St. Mary's. As more accidents occur with quite a few being fatal from distracted driving, I suspect it is simply a matter of time before our County requests it. Based on the latest survey by the County Roads Department ( Why they did the survey I don't know), it shows a real problem. I forgot where I read it. I think it was in the County Times? I don't think we will ever be as bad as 210. At least I hope not. But, with an enforcement effort that is unable to keep up with the rate of accidents and fatalities, something may happen in the future that will necessitate it.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

very scary. I am glad you were not hit.

Thank you. Me too. One time a few years back I was in a head on. I somehow survived the head on with my brother. Not long after the accident, the Trooper who personally knew me came in to see me at the hospital. I was taken there as a precaution with my brother, who was a passenger. The Trooper walked in and said "I have no idea how you are still alive. When I did the initial reconstruction of the accident, there is no way you should have survived" He turned around and walked out and didn't say a word after that. I saw him a month later in Lexington Park. He said the same thing even after he completed the accident investigation. He said the axle that went up through the floor of your pick up truck just happened to stop 4 inches before your chest. "You slid between your seat and the axle to get out. A few more inches and you would be dead". I left him that time without saying anything.

I was South bound on Route 5 just before St. Mary's College. A saw the car starting to come in to my lane. I took evasive action and headed for the shoulder. However, he did too. While on the shoulder and slightly in the road, he hit me head on. To this day I remember his car hitting me head on and seeing the under carriage of his car as it started to flip several times after he hit me. When he hit us, he pushed us 40 feet "sideways". For some reason all four tires just slid across the paved shoulder. I didn't flip. My brother had to kick open his side for us to get out of the two door pick up truck. I felt okay and tried to go to the guy that flipped several times to render aid. I had good EMT training so I knew how I couild help. However, a RN from St. Mary's College was in the traffic going North and witnessed the accident. She rushed to me and said you aren't going anywhere. And I already called 911. You have a neck injury. I don't know how she knew I did. But so did the ambulance and other medical crew that arrived. I later was told he fell asleep at the wheel. Since then, you wouldn't believe how many near head on accidents I have "barely" missed in my lane. Too many. I guess I have Angels always riding with me.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

Enforcement. With officers. Points on licences, fines in excess of 100 or 200 dollars. Ticket failure to yield. Ticket cell phone drivers. Far more crashes from those things than speeding or red lights.

Serious enforcement "on a continous basis" with serious penalties. Without both of these, it will not end. Not only have I seen too many in one day going on and off of the road, I have come across too many as first on the scene of an accident. I can't drive my anyone that needs help. I know some people do. Not me. One guy had a head injury that was so bad, I had a hard time stopping his bleeding. Others had shock and other injuries.

 

[3CATSAILOR]

How about the Police do their job and cruise around looking for this BS

I truly think they do the best they can. But, they are limited to the staff that they have.

 

[glhs837]

I truly think they do the best they can. But, they are limited to the staff that they have.

You know, if the Sheriff and county committed to using the money from speed cameras to fund more real traffic enforcement I could be okay with that. But they wouldn't. Calvert spent their +400k on drones and armored vehicles upkeep and other slush fund type stuff.

Instead we get this bs justification that somehow, against all the research. They expect these things to have a halo effect. They never do. And if they really stopped speeding even in their zone, the program would end due to lack of revenue to pay the contractor.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

Calvert has removed at least one speed camera, the one at Jesus The Good Shepherd on Mt. Harmony. There is still one right up the road at Mt. Harmony Elementary. I've gotten tickets from both.

 

[glhs837]

Calvert has removed at least one speed camera, the one at Jesus The Good Shepherd on Mt. Harmony. There is still one right up the road at Mt. Harmony Elementary. I've gotten tickets from both.

So did they remove it or just move it? Most places set up multiple locations and rotate the cameras. Keeps the citizens guessing and the money flowing.

Calvert's system actually has nine cameras

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

So did they remove it or just move it? Most places set up multiple locations and rotate the cameras. Keeps the citizens guessing and the money flowing.

Calvert's system actually has nine cameras

It's gone, although the signs are still up. There was really only one place to put it at that location that wasn't blocked by vegetation or the way the road is. It was on a pole, just like down the road, which has clearer lines of sight to begin with.