SPECIAL REPORT: Are speed traps lifesavers or time wasters?by Troy Kehoe (tkehoe@wsbt.com)
WSBT News set out to find the top 10 speed traps in St. Joseph County. (WSBT photo) SOUTH BEND — Speed. It's the biggest factor in determining whether a car crash damages your fender, or takes your life. Some drivers are determined to get there as fast as they can, no matter what the speed limit reads. MultimediaRelated ContentThat's why police are cracking down. One tool they're using is speed traps. So, what are they? WSBT asked some local drivers to try and find out. "It's an area where It drops from 40 to 30 to 25," said Michael Fredrickson of Elkhart. "It's where you're in one kind of zone and then immediately you're in another, even though the road type doesn't change," said Jennifer Borek of South Bend. One thing is crystal clear: when it comes to speed traps, most drivers say they feel trapped. "I don't like them," said Fredrickson. "I think it's a way of tricking people. That's why they tend to be called traps," said Borek. There are even websites now devoted to exposing speeds traps across the country, where drivers can share their tips on how to avoid being snared on the speedometer by the "long arm of the law." What exactly is the real definition of a speed trap and where are they? WSBT went to the experts to find out. "It's not a myth. Some cities do have them," said South Bend Police Lieutenant Steve Goen. The answer, it turns out, is that a speed trap is any stretch of road where cars speed. And the needle doesn't have to fly off the speedometer to qualify. "You might be surprised, proportionately where the speeds are over the limit," said South Bend Police Captain Phil Trent. "It's not always on the really fast roads." Instead, the goal of a speed trap is sending a clear message. "They expect me to be out there and they know that we're watching the area, trying to slow people down and save lives," said St. Joseph County Police Corporal Jason Dziubinski. In fact, it's such an important message that both departments had no problem pinpointing to WSBT where they're cracking down. Here's their list of the top 10 "Speed Traps" in St. Joseph County: Speed Trap #10 Almost every car we clocked on radar was at least 10 mph over the limit. Speed Trap #9 Again, most drivers are at least 10 mph over the limit, even with Lt. Goen's squad car driving right past them. "It might look like it should be faster [on this road], but the limit is the limit," Goen said. Speed Trap #8 "At the bridge it drops to 30, but speeds generally don't," said Lt. Goen. We confirmed it with a radar reading in the first 10 seconds we were on the street. It read 60 mph. Speed Traps #7 and #6 Both speed limits are posted at 30 mph. Almost every car we clocked was moving well over 40 mph. Cpl. Dziubinski says he sees the same problems when he patrols Ireland Road between Ironwood and State Road 331. Speed Trap #5 The limit drops from 40 mph to 30 mph, back to 40 mph, then to 30 mph again in less than a mile. Often, drivers don't slow down. "It's not uncommon to see vehicles traveling between 20 [mph] and 30[mph] over on that stretch of road," said Dziubinski. But, despite the extraordinary amount of tickets he writes here, Dziubinski says he's not "trapping" drivers. "Not true. It's not to make money," he explained. "There's no quota either. They think we have to get a certain amount of tickets in a week or a month. That's not true." He also has no input on what the speed limit should be. "They're set by the county engineers who do traffic studies,” he said. Speed Traps #4 and #3 Elm Road south of Kern Road and State Road 23 south of the Bypass are two other areas where the speeds are clearly written. So are the tickets-- in near record numbers this year. "It changes from 55 [mph] to 45 [mph]," stated Dziubinski. Speed Trap #2 “It might be residential or it might be coming up on a dangerous part of the road," Cpl. Dziubinski said. Whatever the reason, finding speeders here is like shooting fish in a barrel. Speed Trap #1 Officers admit it's "easy picking" for speeders there, but they say, that's not their goal. "They're trying to get people to slow down as they go through the town," said Lt. Goen. Even drivers who don't like feeling trapped say there's not much they can do but slow down and watch out. "I'll can't do much but watch out for them," said Kevin Winborn of Mishawaka. It is important to point out this list doesn't include every area road police are targeting. From Madison Road to Douglas Road, there are literally dozens more "traps" out there, and that's just in St. Joseph County alone. The best way to avoid getting trapped is to slow down. It will help save you some money and it may just help save your life. Most Popular |
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