Let this 6-year-old boy’s life be a lesson for all NC drivers
On Sept. 6, one of two drivers was sentenced to prison for her role in a 2021 car race that ended in a fiery crash on a Gaston County road and the death of a 6-year-old Liam Lagunas.
The Charlotte Observer reported that on June 26, 2021, Gracie Eaves was racing Donnie Ray Cobb at 100 mph on U.S. 74 before Cobb lost control of his vehicle, crossed the median, and struck another vehicle head-on. Liam was riding in the vehicle that was struck. He was killed and his father seriously injured.
Eaves pleaded guilty and will spend at least 3.5 years in prison. Cobb is awaiting trial.
This case reminds us just how dangerous and tragic speeding can be. That’s true whether someone is driving 10 mph over the speed limit or turning the highway into a racetrack.
Speeding can kill. In fact, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or higher is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality as a crash where the speed limit is 45 mph or 50 mph, and nearly five times as likely as a crash where the speed limit is below 40 mph.
Speeding-related deaths contribute to nearly a quarter of all fatal crashes in North Carolina. And this deadly behavior has only increased in our state in recent years — up 17% from 2017 to 2021.
Last year, 424 North Carolinians lost their lives in speed-related crashes.
At the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, we use several tools to prevent people from speeding and prevent these deaths from occurring.
One tool we use during peak travel times is our “No Need to Speed” campaign. The campaign relies on public service announcements, news releases and social media to educate the public about the consequences of speeding. Law enforcement agencies reinforce those messages and use stepped up patrols to punish the offenders.
Additionally, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program funds over 50 grants that provide local and state law enforcement with the tools they need to catch speeders, and courts with the resources to prosecute them. We’re planning for an expanded public awareness campaign that discourages speeding and other unsafe driving behaviors year-round.
We’re also helping develop new partnerships that we hope will fill the gaps in addressing speeding and other traffic safety issues. And we’re creating a study group to examine speeding and recommend solutions to prevent this behavior.
Of course, we can’t simply enforce, educate or study our way out of this. We know more can and should be done.
One approach that has been used effectively is called “Safe System.” Earlier this summer this program became the foundation of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy. It pushes for better-designed roads, safer cars, comprehensive post-crash care at hospitals, and a strong judicial system that ensures speeders are properly punished.
Many European countries that have adopted this model have seen a drastic reduction in road deaths. This has turned out to be a positive, holistic approach to increase highway safety over the long term.
But what can we do now? For comprehensive and meaningful changes to take root, people must take responsibility for their actions.
Certainly, beefing up education, outreach, law enforcement and judicial efforts, and improving road designs and the cars people drive are helping. But society must change the way it views speeding and ordinary citizens must say “enough is enough.”
Until then, I fear we will continue to experience the tragic consequences like those that took Liam’s life.
His sad story should serve as a lesson for all drivers. Speeding can ruin lives. Please — always allow extra time to get to where you’re going, be patient, and slow down. Your actions could prevent a lifetime of pain.