Good afternoon,
Earlier in the month, a social media comment about the installation of speed cameras along an accident-prone section of the I-95 construction zone in Wilmington came with a couple of culture wars references.
“Attn snowflakes HOW will this prevent accidents? Will it WOKE me?,” he wrote.
Politics aside, there are ample reasons for using the cameras, which were briefly taken out of commission by vandals this month.
The number of accidents has skyrocketed in the construction zone and cleaning up the mishaps is difficult. Enforcement is dangerous for police, and more than one motorist has been stranded in pile-ups.
Granted, speed cameras may have been brought in as money-raising tools in some states. Their use has been confined to school and construction zones in our region.
Delaware tip-toed into speed cameras with last year’s General Assembly approving their use in the I-95 construction zone with fines are on the modest side (under $100).
In Virginia, motorists speeding through a construction zone can be slapped with a penalty of up to $500.
A strong case can be made for cameras in other Delaware construction zones and highways where speeding is a big problem (sections of Route 1 and I-495 come to mind).
For those tooling along at 90 miles an hour and menacing other motorists, a hefty fine via speed camera would be more than justified. If that’s “woke,” I’m OK with that description.
After all, more than one survey has listed the state’s roads as some of the most dangerous around.
A lapse in heat function
Finally, a note from the motor vehicle site in Georgetown announced on Friday “a lapse in heat function. As the issue is being addressed, interior temperatures may be colder than usual.” I’ll toss that phrase around the next time the heat pump acts up.
Here’s hoping you see no lapse in heat or other functions this weekend. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
