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Opinion | Drag racing, speeding, and ignoring traffic laws have to stop | Otis Sanford

“As we address gun violence, let’s not ignore crimes committed by another dangerous weapon, the automobile,” said Local 24 News commentator Otis Sanford.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — We hear a lot about the violent crime problem plaguing Memphis, but we don’t hear as much about the reckless driving problem that often has deadly consequences.

This past Friday alone, five people died in vehicle crashes that were caused by drivers ignoring traffic laws. On Friday morning, three people were killed in a two-vehicle crash at Summer and Graham in East Memphis when one of the vehicles apparently ran a stop light. Later that day, an off-duty police officer was driving a Dodge Charger at high speeds on Walnut Grove Road when he slammed into a car splitting it into two pieces killing two people.

Earlier last week, surveillance video captured a motorist rear-ending a car that was being worked on along Lamar Avenue in Orange Mound. The man doing the repairs was sent flying through the air before landing on the pavement. Thankfully he was not seriously hurt, but the offending driver fled the scene.

All of this is emblematic of what happens far too often in Memphis: people driving at excessive speeds and running red lights. In Cordova where I live, which is not far from the fatal crash involving the off-duty officer, it’s routine to see loud Mustangs and Chargers speeding up and down busy roadways. It needs to stop. So, as we address gun violence, let’s not ignore crimes committed by another dangerous weapon – the automobile.

And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford for Local 24 News.

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