Details about this story

• Source: Raleigh News & Observer
• Date: May 13, 2007
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Mandy Locke , David Raynor , Pat Stith
• Topics: Courts , Transportation
• Data Types: State Data
• Description/Excerpt: Speed-related accidents kill about 10 people a week in North Carolina, according to the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. That's far more than are killed in accidents involving alcohol. But while state legislators and court officials have gotten tough on drunken drivers, they have eased up on speeders. Legislators have created major loopholes in laws designed to slow drivers down. Traffic courts are so crowded that district attorneys and judges have thrown up their hands, a News & Observer investigation shows. They are letting almost 80 percent of speeding defendants -- well over half a million a year -- get off easy. Most speeders are not convicted as charged, especially those ticketed at high speeds; in the most recent fiscal year, only 2.4 percent of those accused of driving above 55 mph and more than 15 miles over the limit were convicted as charged. The overwhelming majority saved their driver's licenses and avoided any increase in their insurance rates.
• Database or Graphic: Go to site (html&sortby=county&sorttype=a&wherefield=county&wherevalue=Alexander)