Exclusive: Day 1 of crackdown on I-485 speeders nabs unusually high number of drivers
In just eight hours Monday, troopers cited 91 drivers for exceeding the speed limit on the first day of a speeding crackdown on Interstate 485 in Charlotte.
That far surpassed the average eight daily speeding tickets issued on I-485 last year, according to an Observer analysis of State Highway Patrol data.
In all, troopers issued 144 citations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including 15 for reckless driving and 16 for failure to move over for an emergency vehicle and other offenses, Trooper Ray Pierce told the Observer.
The new enforcement effort followed a chain of I-485 wrecks on July 10 that killed four Belmont family members and an Indian Trail man.
A 24-year-old Charlotte man driving 120 mph started the wrecks, according to the State Highway Patrol. The driver was charged with five counts of second-degree murder and other offenses.
The morning of July 11, a driver hit Trooper Adolfo Lopez-Alcedo as he helped shut down the highway again to further investigate the earlier wreck. He remained in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center on Wednesday.
95 mph or more
On Monday, the Highway Patrol began deploying a five-member enforcement team to curtail speeding and other reckless driving on I-485’s inner and outer loops.
Troopers cited 45 drivers for going up to 15 mph beyond the posted 70-mph speed limit. Officers cited 41 drivers for going 15 mph to 25 mph over the limit and five for going 95 mph and above, according to Pierce.
“That’s a lot of citations” compared to the typical daily number of citations that troopers issue, Pierce said.
Last year, for instance, troopers issued an average of seven citations a day to drivers accused of going 16 mph to 25 mph over the limit, according to the Observer’s analysis of State Highway Patrol data..
Troopers focused Monday on a 5-mile stretch of I-485’s inner and outer loops from W.T. Harris Boulevard to the I-77 junction, Pierce said.
The team is focusing on non-rush hours each day when the most speeding occurs, Pierce said.
Enforcement includes troopers on bridges using radar to spot speeders and then alerting a trooper parked ahead on the shoulder of the interstate, Pierce said.
After a couple weeks of enforcement, Highway Patrol officials will analyze citations and other data to see if the enforcement is working and should continue, according to Pierce.