ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. — In this edition of “Cop Corner,” we would really like to talk about something that has started to get a bit out of hand lately.
We are talking about speeding. Speeding has been a major contributor of accidents on Wattendorf Memorial Highway this past year, to include a fatality of one of our own contractors here on Arnold Air Force Base.
Our Department of the Air Force Police writes about 100 tickets per month across Arnold AFB. An alarming amount of them are for speeding, with a vast majority of the speeding tickets over 70 miles per hour. This week alone, DAF Police “clocked” a speeder at over 130 miles per hour. That is more than 70 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. I will tell you from experience that very few people live through a collision at 130 mph, and the very small percentage who do live with very serious injuries that will plague them for the rest of their lives or, worse yet, they hurt a family in another vehicle.
Now, do we believe our Arnold family is responsible for all the speeding that happens on our roads here? Of course not. Wattendorf Memorial Highway and Decherd Highway are busy thoroughfares for the civilian community trying to get to the interstate and to towns south of Arnold.
Here are some safe driving tips to remember:
1) Watch your speed.
2) Use cruise control to help maintain a safe speed.
3) Maintain a safe distance. A 3-second gap is the minimum recommendation.
4) Be aware of speed limit changes. The Wattendorf Memorial Highway speed limit drops to 40 mph during restricted times.
5) Watch out for vehicles entering and exiting Wattendorf Memorial Highway.
Follow these tips to make your drive an enjoyable and safe experience.
- Published
- By Chief Detective Raymond Schultz and Chris Hatten
- AEDC Security Forces Investigations
