For police, not wearing seat belts can be fatal mistake

[agentsteel53]

I can't remember the last time I saw a civilian driving at 100 MPH.

I see it once every couple of days here in SoCal. 

[bugo]

I can't remember the last time I saw a civilian driving at 100 MPH.

I see it once every couple of days here in SoCal. 

Okie drivers are notoriously slow. 

Sometimes I do see cars going very fast in Little Rock.

[Beltway]

Nuts are gonna go 100 mph regardless of the level of traffic enforcement.

Not if they get enough citiations for speeding and reckless driving, they won't.

[cpzilliacus]

Again, what about the other 50% of officers who do buckle up?
Are they bad police officers?  Do they not know what they're doing?

Beltway, you make it sound as though buckling up is a stupid idea.

You haven't been comprehending what I have written.  I merely pointed out situations and cases where the seat belt use can or should be exempted.  So a smart officer would not go without 100% of the time while on duty, nor would they fasten 100% of the time while on duty.  You have to use your judgment on a situational basis.

Some police agencies that I am familiar with have it in the general orders that seat belts must be used at all times.

I am not saying that those provisions should be that inflexible, but breaking a general order can get a law enforcement officer in trouble with those above in the chain of command.

[deathtopumpkins]

Nuts are gonna go 100 mph regardless of the level of traffic enforcement.

Not if they get enough citiations for speeding and reckless driving, they won't.

Yes they will. Give someone a speeding ticket, they may slow down for a couple days, but then they'll start to justify speeding again pretty quick. And then there are some people who practically collect speeding tickets.

They really aren't much of a deterrent.

[signalman]

Nuts are gonna go 100 mph regardless of the level of traffic enforcement.

Not if they get enough citiations for speeding and reckless driving, they won't.

Yes they will. Give someone a speeding ticket, they may slow down for a couple days, but then they'll start to justify speeding again pretty quick. And then there are some people who practically collect speeding tickets.

They really aren't much of a deterrent.

I agree with deathtopumpkins...if a driver is afraid of getting a ticket, then he/she won't speed to begin with.

[Beltway]

Nuts are gonna go 100 mph regardless of the level of traffic enforcement.

Not if they get enough citiations for speeding and reckless driving, they won't.

Yes they will. Give someone a speeding ticket, they may slow down for a couple days, but then they'll start to justify speeding again pretty quick. And then there are some people who practically collect speeding tickets.

They really aren't much of a deterrent.

If that won't stop them, then license suspensions and jail terms will.

[Special K]

If that won't stop them, then license suspensions and jail terms will.

Well, the latter, at least, for the length of the time spent inside.

[jeffandnicole]

Nuts are gonna go 100 mph regardless of the level of traffic enforcement.

Not if they get enough citiations for speeding and reckless driving, they won't.

Yes they will. Give someone a speeding ticket, they may slow down for a couple days, but then they'll start to justify speeding again pretty quick. And then there are some people who practically collect speeding tickets.

They really aren't much of a deterrent.

If that won't stop them, then license suspensions and jail terms will.

Right.  Because we all know that the little 2" x 3" piece of plastic someone is issued somehow transmits a signal to the vehicle, allowing it to start.  Without that little piece of plastic, the car won't go anywhere.

And no one ever has been ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Please - tell us more about how a suspended license will prevent someone from driving a car.

[bugo]

Jail for speeding?  Don't you think that's a bit excessive, like public flogging for jaywalking?

[Scott5114]

He's from the Perkins Union.

[Beltway]

Jail for speeding?  Don't you think that's a bit excessive, like public flogging for jaywalking?

For what was being discussed, 100+ mph speeding, if the perp keeps it up after many tickets for it, jail is not excessive.

[hbelkins]

I tried to post this upthread several days ago, but it did not get posted.

Workers comp won't pay for injuries suffered on the job if proper equipment is not used. For highway maintenance workers that includes hi-viz equipment, proper headgear and footgear, and wearing seat belts if operating vehicles or machinery. There is even an OSHA requirement now that reporters who are broadcasting or taking photos on right-of-way or in work zones must wear hi-viz vests.

If a police officer is injured in a wreck and is not wearing a seat belt in violation of law or policy, then I'd hazard to guess that their injuries would not be covered by workers comp. I would also not be surprised to learn that life insurance policies won't pay off if a cop gets killed in a wreck and he or she is not wearing a seat belt unless an exemption is present in statute or policy.

Marion Berry

"The bitch done set me up!!!" 

[cpzilliacus]

This officer was off-duty, and it is not clear if he was wearing a seat belt (though from the images of the wreck, it probably would not have mattered this time). 

Prince George's police officer killed in traffic accident

[agentsteel53]

This officer was off-duty, and it is not clear if he was wearing a seat belt (though from the images of the wreck, it probably would not have mattered this time). 

Prince George's police officer killed in traffic accident

holy shit, people.  if there's someone coming up behind you, don't fucking pull out in front of them.

extremely reminiscent of a crash I once had, especially the damage to the left front of the SUV.  I was going about 75 when someone decided to suddenly make a left turn from the right lane. 

terrible luck for the officer that there was a utility pole there - I just spun around in the grass until my energy dissipated.

[cpzilliacus]

This officer was off-duty, and it is not clear if he was wearing a seat belt (though from the images of the wreck, it probably would not have mattered this time). 

Prince George's police officer killed in traffic accident

holy shit, people.  if there's someone coming up behind you, don't fucking pull out in front of them.

extremely reminiscent of a crash I once had, especially the damage to the left front of the SUV.  I was going about 75 when someone decided to suddenly make a left turn from the right lane. 

terrible luck for the officer that there was a utility pole there - I just spun around in the grass until my energy dissipated.

WTOP Radio: Charges pending against woman who crashed with Pr. George's officer

Prince George's County Police Chief Mark Magaw says the woman driver had originally been in the left turn lane and made a decision to cross several lanes of traffic - ultimately colliding with Bowden's cruiser which then crashed into a utility pole.

[Emphasis added below]

Investigators say Bowden was speeding, and he was not wearing a seat belt. This is the second time in two months that a Prince George's police officer has died in an accident while not wearing a seat belt.

[US71]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

[Brandon]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

[kphoger]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

I have little problem with full median crossings where there's room enough to safely store a vehicle waiting for a gap–especially where there's enough shoulder room to allow deceleration and acceleration (example here).  What I think are really dangerous are the crossovers where there's just a barrier in between roadways, no storage space (example here).

[NE2]

What I think are really dangerous are the crossovers where there's just a barrier in between roadways, no storage space (example here).

Looks like you can pull into the left shoulder after the break, back through it, and then wait for a gap to bang a hard U. But will the popo do it this way after shitting a Catholic brick?

[Beltway]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

They are needed for emergency services access, and the ones on either side of an interchange are needed for snow plows to make a u-turn when plowing the ramps.

[hbelkins]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

Around here, the cops will plow through the grassy median to turn around after a speeder. U-turns? They don't need no steenking U-turns to go with their badges.

[Brandon]

Arkansas State Police lost an officer four years ago  on I-40 near Mulberry: he crossed the median (presumably to go after a speeder) and crossed in front of a semi-truck.

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

They are needed for emergency services access, and the ones on either side of an interchange are needed for snow plows to make a u-turn when plowing the ramps.

In areas with exits closer than every four to five miles, no, they aren't really needed for that kind of access.  It is far safer to use the ramps of the nearest exit.  As an example where crossovers don't exist for miles, I present to you I-55 between MP 249 and MP 277 in Illinois.  Somehow plows and emergency vehicles do just fine without the crossovers.

[Michael]

The NY Thruway likes to build up the left shoulder before crossovers to form a deceleration "lane", but doesn't do the same after the crossover, so there's no acceleration "lane".  Here's an example just west of the Liverpool exit.  There's one in each direction, but the westbound one was easier to see in the aerial.  I've only seen this on the Thruway, and I think it's kind of neat.  I've actually seen police cars parked in this exact crossover before.

Assuming there's enough interest, I propose splitting the discussion about crossovers into a new topic.

[Beltway]

Yet anther reason why I think we need to close off these crossovers.  IMHO, median breaks on freeways are dangerous.

They are needed for emergency services access, and the ones on either side of an interchange are needed for snow plows to make a u-turn when plowing the ramps.

In areas with exits closer than every four to five miles, no, they aren't really needed for that kind of access.  It is far safer to use the ramps of the nearest exit.  As an example where crossovers don't exist for miles, I present to you I-55 between MP 249 and MP 277 in Illinois.  Somehow plows and emergency vehicles do just fine without the crossovers.

What part of I-55 is that?  I just checked it on Google Maps between I-155 and I-80, and I counted at least 20 crossovers.

It is not dangerous for an emergency vehicle or snow plow to use a crossover if they use their warning lights. The roof lights and strobes are extremely obvious from a long distance away.  They are not going to use a crossover unless there is sufficient need, and they don't have to use a crossover if they decide to use an interchange instead.