Stop letting speeders off easy in NC. Fix the logjam in state traffic courts.

Traffic court

Regarding the “Death in the Fast Lane” series, (June 6-7):

The Observer has rendered a great service to its readers by giving front-page coverage to the appalling problem with North Carolina’s traffic court system.

The outstanding coverage by the investigative team should give the state legislature an immediate wake-up call to take action to correct the prosecutorial logjam that exists in the state as it relates to traffic courts and habitual speeding.

Any motorist traveling the highways, beltways and interstates of North Carolina can attest to the fact that the “NASCAR wannabes” can be encountered any time of day, every day. It’s a deadly situation that needs to be fixed.

Doug Bennett, Charlotte

Speeding loophole

Regarding “Some speeders in NC exploit loophole in state law, then return to the road and kill,” (June 7):

Why are car inspections required annually by DMV? Simple: To assess that a car is running properly — and that should include the speedometer’s ability to correctly display the speed.

So why are all these speeders getting off on the “improper equipment plea?” I am appalled at this loophole. Lives are lost because of it.

Virginia Whedon, Charlotte

Horsepower mania

The motor vehicle accident death rate has been increasing recently for the first time in decades, after years of decreases due largely to government-required safety mandates in vehicle design.

The increased death rate has been attributed to multiple factors, especially distracted driving. But the auto industry’s recent obsession with a new horsepower race is also a factor. Why are they making street cars capable of 200 miles per hour?

We can only hope that a rise in car crash death and injury rates now will lead to less industry promotion of high-risk driving behavior.

Frank Highley, Charlotte

CMS absenteeism

Instead of bickering and blaming, I suggest the CMS board and Mecklenburg County commissioners examine one of the real problems that plagues our low performing schools: poor attendance.

I was a CMS teacher and administrator and I can tell you this is a major obstacle to learning. CMS has some outstanding teachers, but they can’t teach children who aren’t there.

I suggest the county use the withheld money to identify low performing schools with high rates of absenteeism. Hire social workers and others, assign them to those schools to work with parents to get those children to school every day. These professionals could make home visits and assist with problems that are keeping children out of school.

With this plan, each board works effectively and efficiently in a compromise that helps close learning gaps that plague low-performing schools.

Karen Watts, Charlotte

CMS funding

The writer is a retired CMS principal.

In order to satisfy Mecklenburg County commissioners and grab the $56 million, why doesn’t CMS just whip out a copy of the programs and strategies it learned from six years of involvement and work with Project LIFT?

Project LIFT attempted to improve student performance by learning how low-performing students at nine CMS schools learned best in order to share with the rest of the system.

CMS was generously provided $50 million by outside sources to get the job done. Five years turned into six, and then the program seemed to disappear from the radar.

With all of the investment made by Project LIFT there should already be a plan in place.

Kenneth A. Simmons, Harrisburg

End of an era

Two universities, two elite basketball programs, eight miles apart. Two coaching titans — Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski — retiring close together is a fitting tribute and the passing of the torch for Hubert Davis and Jon Scheyer.

This unmatched basketball rivalry of Duke vs UNC brought fun, pride and national intrigue to North Carolina’s Tobacco Road. It’s a rare southern delicacy similar to a persimmon pudding. College basketball sure has come a long way from James Naismith’s peach basket.

Randall Lemly, Charlotte