Drivers taking off as restrictions ease, and Raleigh police are catching them
Traffic tickets issued by Raleigh police jumped 67 percent from a year ago, with speeding charges more than triple, according to Raleigh Police Department records.
Raleigh officers issued 1,452 traffic citations in April, up from 868 in April 2020. The tickets included 1,955 charges, up 61 percent from the 1,215 charges a year ago.
Various speeding offenses accounted for 560 of the April charges, compared with only 165 in April 2020, records show.
"I think people were trying to take advantage of speeding at places like Capital [Boulevard]," driver Christopher Haskins said. "I think, as things have started to open back up, the police are becoming more aware of that."
Raleigh police spokeswoman Donna-Maria Harris agreed, noting in an email to WRAL News that fewer drivers were on the road in April 2020 because of a statewide stay-at-home order during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
"This year, as COVID restrictions are being lifted, there are more drivers on the roads as more people are returning to work, school and other social events. This significant increase in traffic from last year has led to officers encountering more violators, leading to the increase in traffic citations issued," Harris said. "Also, the RPD has experienced an increase in complaints of speeding, careless and reckless driving and loud muffler noise from vehicles."
Driver Nancy Yaguda said she's seen more law enforcement officers on the roads this year than last year.
"I think, even more than before the pandemic, there just seems to be a lot of police on the roads," Yaguda said. "I think they might have better things to do than try to catch people speeding."
"I think it needs to be spread out a bit more," Haskins said. "We could always say that the police should be doing something different, but as long as they are trying to keep people safe out there, I think it’s appropriate."
Other offenses racking up tickets this year include having an expired license plate or registration, driving without a license and driving with a revoked license.
