Currituck nets many speeders on N.C. 168, U.S. 158

On July 8 last summer, a West Virginia man sped through Grandy on a motorcycle and was soon pursued by a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Instead of pulling over, the man accelerated through the southern end of Currituck County on U.S. 158.

Trooper Jeff Wilson clocked the rider at 105 mph. But during the chase, he briefly pushed his patrol car to a top speed at 150 mph, and the motorcycle rider was still pulling away, he said last week in a phone interview.

Not knowing the territory, the man turned left just before the Wright Memorial Bridge onto a dead end road, where he was caught, Wilson said. He was cited with the clocked speed of 105 in a 55 mph zone, reckless driving and fleeing to elude arrest, according to court documents.

More cases of speeding 80 mph or above occur in Currituck County than anywhere else in the seven-county First Judicial District, said District Attorney Frank Parrish.

Almost all of them occur on Caratoke Highway, a combination of N.C. 168 and U.S. 158 that forms a 42-mile-long, five-lane highway through Currituck County from the Virginia line to Dare County. Hundreds of residents and businesses are along the highway.

"A lot of motorists treat 168 and 158 like the Autobahn," Parrish said. "That ramps up the potential for a severe crash."

Records show the West Virginia man was one of 112 motorists in Currituck traffic court last year cited for speeding 80 mph or more. Two exceeded 100 mph. Dozens of others were in the high 70s.

The speeding case load was a typical year, said Cathy Casey, assistant clerk of Superior Court.

Currituck County had four traffic fatalities last year.

Drivers convicted of driving 80 mph or more automatically lose their licenses for at least 30 days and must pay $121 in court costs. Fines are up to the judge but can be as high as $1,000, Parrish said.

Parrish acknowledged that speeders may not fear the punishment enough, he said.

Statistics show that speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A total of 13,040 died in speed-related accidents. In 2007, 36 percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 24 percent in

passenger cars, 19 percent in light trucks and 8 percent in heavy trucks, the statistics showed.

Defense attorneys use the technique of getting speeding cases continued until the trooper cannot be in court to testify against the defendant, said Wilson, now a sergeant.

"It happens a lot," he said.

After continuing the case twice, the defense attorney for the West Virginia man worked a deal with an assistant district attorney to dismiss the fleeing and reckless driving charges. On the speeding charge, he was given a prayer for judgment, which is similar to probation.

Defense evidence showed the West Virginia man did not have a prior speeding record and was taking courses to go into law enforcement, Wilson said. But on the third court date set for this case, Wilson was not there to give his side of the story, he said.

Only one or two highway patrol troopers and a handful of Currituck deputies are on duty at any given time, raising the temptation to speed, said Currituck County Chief Deputy Sandy Casey.

When cited, they give all sorts of reasons, including driving with the flow, trying to catch a plane or getting to a bathroom, Casey said.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com