|
OPINIONS
March 28, 2019 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
Another report about bad
driving straight from the horse's mouth
What a coincidence it was. Barely an hour after last week's edition of the Sun had gone "live" with my editorial comments about reckless driving, I got another lesson about what's going on from a
"resident expert": First Sergeant Derek Mobley, the man in charge of the North Carolina Highway Patrol in Johnston County.
And once again, the news was far from pretty.
First Sergeant Mobley was the guest speaker before my Rotary Club. He didn't mince words: "I've been doing this for 22 years, and things have gotten more dangerous," he said.
 photo
from Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald website
|
To make matters worse, the local Patrol is having "a hard time" getting DWI convictions in our courts. "We really need y'all in the courtroom to hold these folks accountable," he told us.
And a growing proportion of DWI arrests is attributable to abuse of prescription drugs --- the so-called "opioid" crisis. "It's a horrible epidemic in Johnston County right now," he said.
A bit of encouraging news is a recent reduction in teen-age driving fatalities in Johnston. First Sergeant Mobley gave much of the credit for that to the JoCo Teen Driving organization, which is raising awareness among our youngest drivers about the horrors of reckless driving.
Of course, "distracted driving" is adding fuel to the fire of recklessness, and that's why the Patrol is pushing for state legislation to keep cell phones out of the hands of motorists. "The problem is the parents," the First Sergeant told us.
Let's give him and the 24 patrolmen under his command a hand in all this by "cleaning up our act" behind the wheel --- to keep us and those around us safe, and to set a better example for those youngsters who're watching us.
Won't you join the
conversation?
We welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions about what you see in the Smithfield Weekly Sun --- and perhaps what you don't see that you'd like to see. All it takes is a simple e-mail sent to editor@smithfieldweeklysun.com.
We'll confirm receipt of your correspondence and, if any or all of it is appropriate for publication, we'll ask your permission to print before we "go to press." If we publish your submission, all we will show is your name. Your e-mail address and place of residence will not be shared.
To make things simpler, please sign up as a subscriber if you haven't already done so, using the online form below:
RETURN TO THE SMITHFIELD WEEKLY SUN FRONT PAGE