December 06, 2012


NO-TAX-HIKE PLEDGE FEELS RESPONSIBLE BUT WILL LEAVE AN EXPENSIVE LEGACY

Money.jpgIn the rough and tumble world of politics, it is easy to troll for votes by pledging not to raise taxes, despite compelling need and a knowledge that a penny saved today will result in dollars spent tomorrow.

South Carolina continues to elect legislators who have signed a no-tax-hike pledge, although, as The Charleston Post and Courier stated in an excellent editorial on November 25, 2012, their numbers have diminished slightly – down one legislator in the House, three less in the Senate.

The pledge hinders the one tax hike that the state continues to ignore at its own peril – an increase in one of the lowest gas taxes in the nation. South Carolina’s tax is 16 cents a gallon and hasn’t been increased in 25 years while the state’s population has tripled and tourism has become one of the Palmetto State’s most important industries.

Why is raising the gas tax so important? Three big reasons.

First, it is a user’s tax. Don’t drive, don’t pay. Use the roads, pay for their upkeep.

Second, the state has a $20 billion backlog for road and bridge maintenance, according to the Post and Courier. Replacement costs more than repair and maintenance.

Third, a higher tax will add millions to state coffers in a state that badly needs to keep its transportation infrastructure in decent shape for commerce, tourists and local commuters.

There will be a price to pay for only thinking of today’s pocketbook; not tomorrow’s costs when increasing potholes, rough pavement, faded street markings, closed bridges and growing congestion require huge financial outlays.

While some think this is good fiscal conservatism, as the Post and Courier correctly pointed out, it is more akin to political expediency than personal philosophy.

South Carolina’s Department of Transportation squeezes every dollar it can to fight the deterioration and has often been cited for the efficient use of the less-than-adequate dollars it currently receives.

It would be a pleasant surprise if the legislature where to think ahead about what is good for the state rather than if their no-tax-hike pledge is good enough for them to get re-elected.​

Published: 12/6/2012  8:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




October 04, 2012


MOVING OVER SAVES LIVES

Good Samaritans, often citizens, stopping to help a motorist in a broken down vehicle, have been struck, injured and killed while changing someone’s flat tire or charging a dead battery.

Emergency personnel – police, firefighters, tow truck operators, roadside construction and maintenance crews – have all faced vulnerability trying to assist others alongside our highways.

North Carolina has had a Move Over law for more than ten years but it failed to expand beyond emergency responders, law enforcement vehicles, tow trucks, and Incident Management Assistance Patrols operated by the NCDOT.

A new version went into effect Monday, October 1, 2012, that requires motorists to change lanes or slow down to avoid roadside utility and maintenance crews bearing flashing amber lights.

AAA hopes that eventually the law will be expanded again in the future to require vehicles to move over whenever they see an idle vehicle on the side of the road and people outside the vehicle.

The law now covers those who are most likely to be aware of the danger working alongside fast-moving traffic. The average citizen, sometimes upset at the situation they encounter, often ignore or are unaware of the danger.

The law requires drivers to move over at least one lane when two or more lanes are available in each direction. On roads with only one traffic lane in each direction, drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop. Drivers who fail to follow the Move Over law may be fined $250 plus court costs.

Forty-seven states have enacted similar statutes requiring drivers to slow down and, if possible, change lanes to avoid police cars, emergency responders and other types of official vehicles stopped on the side of the road.

AAA Carolinas feels these laws should be expanded to give all vehicles stopped alongside the road a safety barrier under Move Over laws. ​

Published: 10/4/2012  8:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




September 18, 2012


NORTH CAROLINA’S CHECKPOINTS ARE NET FOR CAPTURING TRAFFIC VIOLATORS

In North Carolina, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) conducts traffic safety campaigns involving checkpoints that periodically nail thousands of drunk drivers, speeders, fugitives and even dozens of stolen vehicles.

During this past Labor Day, a total of 94,125 traffic and criminal citations were issues statewide between August 17 and September 3 using more than 7,800 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated law enforcement patrols.

The results of the Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign are staggering in the way it shows drunk drivers, speeders, fugitives and those either impaired by drugs or charged with drug violations travel the state’s highways. 

Here are the results, as announced by State Transportation Secretary Gene Conti, who oversees the GHSP:
 
Driving while impaired​
2,745
Speeding ​
24,553​
Fugitives from justice​
2,028​
Recovered stolen vehicles​ 135
Failure to wear a seat belt​
6,691​
Child passenger safety violation​
 1,172​
 
Checkpoints are one of the most effective traffic safety techniques used by law enforcement.
 
South Carolina, which doesn’t use checkpoints as frequently as North Carolina, has a requirement that road/block checkpoints can be conducted only if there is some empirical reason for the establishment and location of the checkpoint and that it is administered equally.
 
South Carolina’s traffic safety record – consistently one of the top five worst in the nation – could improve with increased checkpoints.​
Published: 9/18/2012  8:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




August 20, 2012


NORTH CAROLINA TEEN CELL PHONE BAN DOESN’T APPEAR TO BE WORKING

cell_phone.jpegIn 2006, North Carolina passed a cellphone ban for teenage drivers (under 18 years of age) hoping to reduce usage and accidents among young drivers while they were still learning to drive.

Recently, the Highway Safety Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill said it hasn’t worked.

They watched 5,000 teen drivers leaving high school parking lots before the ban became law and continued observing for two years after.

While cellphone use decreased slightly (from 11% to 9.7%), texting increased 40%, and Arthur Goodwin, a senior research associate at the Center told the Raleigh News and Observer the number is probably greater today. (Delays in publishing academic papers slowed presentation of the findings.)

State Senator Stan Bingham, a sponsor of the ban, told the newspaper, “We’ve passed a law that’s impossible to enforce. This study will be used to aid future legislation.”

One of the problems is when a law enforcement officer sees a young driver talking on the phone while driving, they don’t know if they are 17-years-old (illegal) or 18-years-old (legal).

There were only 22 cellphone tickets issued by the Highway Patrol to underage drivers in 2011, the paper said.

Teens know it is dangerous to talk or text on a cellphone while driving but every survey and study shows they will do it anyway. It’s teen rebellion meshing with the social media culture teenagers today have grown up with.

The bottom line is scary. Young drivers – whose number one cause of death is traffic crashes – aren’t going to be deterred by a soft law. Even a stiff law – say a month in jail, loss of license for three months, up to $5,000 fine – may not work.

Until such behavior becomes socially unacceptable, like drinking and driving which has declined among young 20-somethings, cellphone use while driving will continue to claim young lives.​

Published: 8/20/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




July 31, 2012


SOUTH CAROLINA RULES NATION AS TOP EXPORTER OF VEHICLES AND TIRES

You would think Michigan with the big three domestic auto manufacturers would export more vehicles out of the United States than South Carolina.
Well, you would be wrong.

South Carolina overtook Michigan last year and is the number one U.S. exporter of vehicles. Additionally, the Palmetto State was also the number one U.S. exporter of tires in 2011, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

While the rest of the nation was struggling last year, South Carolina grew its exports an overall 21.4 percent, fueled by shipments of vehicles from BMW’s Greer, SC manufacturing plant and tires from major manufacturers Michelin and Bridgestone, accounting for 30% of all U.S. made exported tires.

“South Carolinians know how to make things – and we ship them the world over,” said SC Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

It’s a global world economy these days and South Carolina ranks 14th among states in exports.

And the export markets show remarkable diversity.

Germany was the state’s number one export market, followed by Canada, China, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Brazil, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Two factors helping the business are the state’s ports, especially Charleston, and an interstate highway network that facilitates the transport of goods to Canada and Mexico.

It’s a strong argument for the legislature to ensure that the state’s struggling transportation infrastructure is adequately funded for repair, renovation and replacement.​

Published: 7/31/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




July 26, 2012


EVERYONE NEEDS A SHOULDER TO LEAN ON - EVEN MOTORISTS

Let’s face it.

North Carolina, like most states, is suffering from a lack of funding for highways and bridges.

The result of failure to widen a road or replace a narrow bridge often results in bumper-to-bumper traffic and motorist frustration.

Sections of I-40 in the Research Triangle and I-485 in south Charlotte have such situations.

Raleigh (actually Durham) is doing something about it with the state’s new “bus-on-shoulder” concept to give bus riders an advantage over those single-occupant commuter vehicles. The program began this month (July, 2012).

Specially trained bus drivers can use the shoulder whenever traffic slows to 35 miles per hour, but they cannot go faster than 35 miles per hour. If the clogged traffic is inching along at 10 miles per hour, the bus can only travel 15 miles per hour faster or 25 miles per hour.

North Carolina’s Department of Transportation wants to see if this works, as it has in other cities across the United States.

It encourages transit use and reduces congestion, clear pluses.

However, it is sure to tempt motorists to try it, even though it is illegal, and raises questions about why not just make it an extra lane, which of course is more expensive. As always, the critical issue is money.

The bottom line for North Carolina is it is time to try new strategies.

The Tar Heel state has $50 billion in needed highway projects between now and 2024 with only $10.5 billion coming in.

Maybe the “bus-on-shoulder” concept will be a solution worth leaning on.
​

Published: 7/26/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




July 12, 2012


SOLUTIONS SOUGHT TO PUT BRAKES ON SPEEDING

Ever since the 55 miles per hour speed limit on Interstates was lifted, speeding has been a contributing factor in more than one-third of all fatal accidents.

While progress has been made in getting Americans to buckle up and to cast a social pall on drinking and driving, traffic safety experts and law enforcement officials have not been able to reduce the involvement of speeding in fatal traffic crashes.

For 25 years, speeding has been a specific behavior that hasn’t changed.

The main reason progress has not been made is “public indifference to speeding,” according to a survey done in early 2012 by the National Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Many people believe speed enforcement is just a way for law enforcement to generate revenue.

Nationally, the number of law enforcement personnel patrolling for speeders has decreased at the same time that today’s cars are more powerful than ever. That may change with high gasoline prices and Detroit’s move to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

In many communities, speed limits are set too low for the design of the road, which encourages violations. And because so many speed and so few are caught, many motorists are willing to take the risk, especially in our hectic, frenetic society where we “want to be there now.”

The GHSA recommends targeting speed enforcement in school and construction zones and focusing more on aggressive driving, rather than speeders keeping up with the flow of traffic.

AAA Carolinas supports automated speed cameras, especially in corridors with high accident rates. While the effectiveness of speed cameras has proven to be pronounced, they are often denounced by the driving public, whom, in my belief, don’t want to get caught doing what they know they are not supposed to do – speed.

Fun Facts:

The honor of receiving the first speeding ticket goes to Walter Arnold of Great Britain who got a ticket Jan. 28, 1896 for going 8 mph in a 2 mph town speed limit.

The first U.S. speeding ticket recipient goes to New York City cab driver Jacob German who was ticketed on May 20, 1899 for driving 12 mph down Lexington Avenue when the speed limit was 8 mph.

​

Published: 7/12/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




July 05, 2012


MOTORCYCLISTS - NO HELMET MAKES NO SENSE

North Carolina requires motorcyclists to wear helmets; South Carolina does not.

For the first nine months of 2011, South Carolina motorcycle deaths increased 26% from 81 the prior year to 102.

North Carolina, over the same period, saw motorcycle deaths decline 26% from 147 to 116.

An increased emphasis in 2011 on motorcycle education with new sales is the main reason for the improvement in North Carolina.

Reasons for the increase in deaths in South Carolina – no helmet law and nice weather meant more bikers hitting the road.

Based on a five-year look at motorcycle fatalities in both states, the percentage of deaths for those not wearing a helmet in South Carolina was 75% compared to 8% in North Carolina.

Yet there are those who argue that wearing a helmet doesn’t contribute to their safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which likes to look at all types of fatal behavior, found that five times as many no-helmet deaths occur in states without helmet laws.

In addition to the increased loss of life in states without a helmet law, the medical costs in those states – shared state-wide whether you ride a motorcycle or not – was higher. The CDC said the cost was $725 per registered motorcycle in states without a helmet law compared to $200 in states with a helmet law.

As a former motorcycle owner and rider, I always wore a helmet.  I cared about my family, myself and the fact I could ride safely but I could not always control traffic around me or traffic conditions.

Common sense told me it made no sense not to wear a helmet.

Pass a helmet law, South Carolina. It’s the sensible thing to do.

 

Motorcycle Info.jpg


​

Published: 7/5/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




June 19, 2012


COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA GIANT IN INSURANCE PROCESSING

Who knew?

Earlier this month, The State newspaper unearthed a little known secret that Columbia has passed Hartford, Connecticut as the world’s leader in insurance technology and processing.

How is it possible?

Well, Blue Cross BlueShield of South Carolina processes 75% of all the insurance claims for United States military personnel and retirees. They al​so administer more than one-fourth of all Medicare business nationwide and 70% of all Medicare claims. It adds up to about one billion claims a year, the paper said.

Then they cut checks amounting to about $1 billion a DAY in health care payments or 10% of the total health care payout in the United States.

And there are another 20 insurance companies, not agents, housed in the city, like Seibels Bruce and Colonial Life, the nation’s second largest supplemental insurance company. Aflac, the nation’s number one supplemental insurance company bought Continental American Insurance Company in 2009 and is planning to open an office in Columbia with 825 new jobs.

So, congratulations Columbia.

An often-thought of sleepy Southern city (a view held by many who have never visited the Palmetto State) has bested a New England city (Hartford) often characterized as the nation’s insurance capital.

Now that the secret is out, it is only a matter of time before the question of what city is the nation’s insurance capital is asked on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

It is also information that is valuable for consumers to know when insurance issues come before the state legislature. It’s important to know who has clout when insurance rates and policies are being discussed by elected officials.​

Published: 6/19/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




June 05, 2012


2012 AAA CAROLINAS LEGISLATIVE SURVEY – AN ANALYSIS

Every year AAA Carolinas asks in our bimonthly membership publication, GO Magazine, for members’ opinions on a variety of North and South Carolina legislative issues, mostly centering around traffic safety.

Two questions this year specifically for South Carolina residents asked if teenagers should be prohibited from texting while driving (98.16% of respondents said yes) and should motorcycle riders be required to wear helmets (84.74% of respondents said yes.)

All other questions were grouped together for North and South Carolina residents.

A whopping 95% of respondents voted in the last election and 92.36% said gasoline and vehicle registration tax receipts should only be used for the transportation infrastructure. Both NC and SC legislatures have sometimes siphoned money from their state highway trust funds for non-highway purposes.

However, 66.21% were opposed to increasing gasoline taxes to pay for transportation infrastructure needs. Both states are hundreds of millions of dollars behind in what they need to repair or renovate roads and bridges.

Asking if fast-food restaurants should warn motorists while driving about the dangers of eating and drinking, and if hands-free cell phone use while driving should be permitted, found 55% in support of both.

Two-thirds said cameras should be used to enforce speeding and red light laws.

Dating handicapped stickers and issuing fines when expired stickers are used in handicapped spaces garnered support from 89.44% of respondents. Also receiving strong support was issuing tickets for failing to use turn signals when it endangered pedestrians or other motorist – 86.92%.

Member feedback on legislative issues helps guide positions on issues.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with these majorities? ​

Published: 6/5/2012  10:00 AM | 0  Comments | 0  Links to this post




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