Train/Vehicle Crashes on the Rise in the Show-Me-State

Last year alone 17 people in Missouri died in traffic crashes with trains and the Missouri Highway Patrol number of train/automobile accidents is on the rise in Missouri this year. Part of that number comes from traffic crashes on country roads which are marked with crossbucks and signs, but don't have lights and gates to alert drivers that a train is on its way.

Officer Anita Reason, a Missouri State Patrol veteran and self-proclaimed “expert train enforcement authority,” believes Train speed plays a large factor in vehicular accidents. “Report findings prove that all train accidents in the target areas were the ultimately the result of trains moving at speed, as opposed to those not moving at all,” said Reason. “This goes to show that we must completely eliminate trains from traveling in our state in order to save lives and reduce the overall number of automobile accidents that occur in Missouri on an annual basis.”

It's all part of a new program thanks to a state grant that allows Missouri police to step up patrols to crack down on trains. According to police logs, in the past two days police have nabbed 23 trains for speeding and other traffic violations. Even in an emergency, a loaded train moving through the countryside takes a mile to make a complete stop. Several trains have been ticketed for leaving the scene of an accident.

"That's our real goal in this...to reduce accidents overall, reduce property damage and make the streets safer for everyone," Deputy Chief Ben Dover with the Missouri State Patrol said. One of the reasons that this program is focused on Trains is because 100 percent of all accidents on these railroad crossings are caused by trains speeding. Police say safety is the goal, not issuing tickets.

Deputy Chief Ben says increased patrols have helped other cities reduce crashes caused by trains speeding. He says the Missouri State Police has also received another grant to fight impaired pilots stealing ammonia during field crop dusting.

(thanks to OQ for the copy and paste and idea for this)

STOP CALLING ME !!!!!

Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phone Use, Low Sperm Count

That's the preliminary finding of a study done by The Cleveland Clinic, which found statistically that men who used their cell phones the most had poorer sperm quality than those who used them the least.
The lowest average sperm counts seemed to be in men who had the most cell phone use (more than four hours a day); those who didn’t use cell phones seemed to have the highest. Although the sperm count appears to go down with increasing cell phone use, the difference in numbers wasn't significant.

It's Crime come Election Time !!!

"My idea of crime fighting is not roadside safety checks and seatbelt campaigns solely to generate revenue and grant money. I think there are more important things where we need to establish our priorities that have the most impact on our health and well-being as a community." said McCoy.

oooooo......I smell conflict between County and City here........

"I don't think we've gone out of bounds in trying to enforce traffic laws," Fischer said. "As far as the sheriff's office goes, I believe we've lightened up on that side of things and tried to draw our attention to other areas."

......and so do most of us think that too!!!


McCoy said one of his biggest priorities would be the methamphetamine problem.


...try on Broadway in front of St. Marys between 4 and 7 pm.

Miss Quincy ??? How about Miss Adams County...

Sara Garriga, 19, of Liberty, earned the title of the new Miss Quincy, while Jordyn Smith, 17, of Payson, won the new title of Miss Quincy Outstanding Teen and Cierra Williams of Quincy, was crowned Little Miss Quincy, Saturday night at Baldwin School auditorium.

Little Miss Quincy 2006, Ali Nicole Browning of Perry, Ill., said the last year was an "awesome" experience.

Rule #1: Don't have to reside in Quincy.

Open Weekend !!!!

Looks to be a Cold, Rainy, Slow Weekend.


Let's here what Burns your Ass !!

Challange ???

"It's not a trap, I challenge anyone to tell me why it's a trap," Deputy Chief Ron Dreyer with the Quincy Police Department said. "We're out here in marked cars, the speed limit is posted. And frankly we're not going to ignore the speed limit in the city of Quincy. If people choose to ignore it, we'll enforce it as much as possible."





Directory > Reference > Wikipedia

Speed Trap:

The term speed trap refers to a point where speed limits are strictly enforced by police. It is generally understood as meaning a specific location in which police wait in concealment. For example, a police car might wait behind a bridge or overpass, out of sight of approaching motorists, but has also been applied to locations where a speed camera is posted.

The term speed trap is usually used by motorists, not by enforcement officers. It may be considered pejorative, and use of the term may suggest the appearance of speed enforcement by concealed means or excessively strict speed enforcement.

Speed traps have been used since the beginning of the 20th Century as a means to enforce speed limits, and Britain's Automobile Association was set up specifically to notify members of speed traps.

Cities or road sections become known as speed traps where police have a reputation for writing an unusually high number of traffic tickets, especially speeding tickets. Sometimes the posted speed limits are not easily seen; in other places, the limits might be set excessively low.

Speed traps often are found in small towns, often near major highways, in which travelers are less likely to return and challenge a ticket. Speed trap towns typically have an unusually large percentage of their local workforce dedicated to traffic law enforcement or judiciary occupations. Furthermore, traffic fines make up an unusually large percentage of income for speed trap towns.

You tell us ???

Traffic Tickets to generate Revenue ???

Just heard this on FOX news and found the article.

Smell familiar ??

Nobel Peace Prize Finalist ????

Cindy Sheehan has announced that she is a Nobel Peace Prize finalist. Can she win? Well the Nobel Peace Prize will be handed out on Friday the 13th. Scary huh?

Just the Facts......

Updated 10/5: Futher info added at bottom!!

After reading posts here and on several other Blogs, I did a little research to see if the traffic tickets have actually increased here or is it just the illusion of it. OQ's posting of the Traffic tickets in Adams county gave me some ideas on how to do this. I was amazed.

2002 there were 8956 cases.
2003, there were 9259,
2004 - 9427
2005 13089 !!!
If my math is right, that's a 72% increase!!

2006 is currently at 9293 as of today. Right on track for another record year.

Now to be fair and see if maybe this number may be skewed by missing information, I check another statistic. Divorce cases.
2002 - 1139
2003 - 989
2004 - 995
2005 - 1080

Seems to me that traffic cases HAVE been on the rise since 2005 and they need to squeeze the word "profit" in here somewhere....

Mission Statement
of
The Quincy Police Department


As members of the Quincy Police Department,
it is our mission and duty to serve the citizens of our community, and
to protect all life and property,
to apply the law fairly, ethically and equally to all, and
to work in concert with the citizens of our community to improve
Quality of Life.

Updated Info:

Seems UMR Blog has throw the Red Replay flag on the field and wants a "further review" of the increase of traffic tickets in Adams County. Well here it is. You can check the info and also pick out other Illinois countys to back this up. I liked to Rock Island county since it is about the same size.

The results ??? Surprising.
2002 - 32421
2003 - 33424
2004 - 31715
2005 - 29654
2006 - (to date) 21881

If Adams county large increase in traffic tickets is credited to ISP then why don't they patrol Rock Island County as hard ???

Anybody ?? Anybody ??