The chirp of a radar detector, the glimpse of the familiar gray and blue state police cruiser lurking in the bushes, or the flashing beams of a sympathetic oncoming motorist set off a chain reaction of brake lights as drivers quickly try to comply with the posted speed limit. Add in the boosted insurance premiums and the price of speeding grows. If I come home with a speeding ticket, I'm in a lot of trouble. In addition to filling public coffers, law enforcement officials hope they're promoting public safety by curbing excessive speeds. The United States saw 37,351 fatal motor vehicle crashes in 1996 - the fourth consecutive year the number of fatal accidents has increased.
Speed is second only to alcohol in causes for fatal car crashes on America's roads.
A University of North Carolina study released earlier this month found Massachusetts to have the safest roads in the nation, as measured by the number of accidents, despite having the poorest road conditions in the country. In 1996, Massachusetts tied with Rhode Island for the lowest rate of motor vehicle fatalities, with only seven deaths per 100,000 people. Paul Maloney of the Massachusetts State Police partly credits the safety of Massachusetts's roads to aggressive traffic enforcement. And the more aggressive that speed enforcement gets, the more creative speeders get in trying to defy cops and radar guns. A whole side industry for speeders has developed.