Editor, Commonwealth:
I cringe every time I see or hear the words “speed bump.” As far as I’m concerned, the speed bump is one of the most vicious inventions in recent history.
They are hard on cars, especially older cars. They are equally hard on people, especially older people.
We used to drive a small car that was so low to the ground that the higher speed bumps scraped the bottom. We frequently had to replace tires on our last vehicle and had to have work done on the front axle. This was due in part to bad roads, about which I could write an entire book. We have, however, also hit “hidden” speed bumps — those without proper warning signs or neon paint to distinguish them from the rest of the road.
We live in a tiny development on the outskirts of North Carrollton. In a one-block stretch of road with fewer than 10 houses on it, we have to endure not one but two speed bumps.
Two years ago, I broke eight vertebrae in my back. I was in almost constant pain. The speed bumps I had to endure every time I had to go anywhere often had me in tears, and sometimes had me screaming. Although I am better now, severe osteoporosis has interfered with my healing, and speed bumps still hurt.
I understand speeders are a problem, and Mississippi does not have sufficient law enforcement. Speed bumps, however, are not the answer. I am no expert on the subject, but there have to be better ways of slowing people down.
I have noticed, for one thing, that police cars are seldom seen patrolling the streets of Greenwood. In Carrollton, one is almost as likely to see a three-legged purple horse walking down the street. I am all too familiar with the concept of financial limitations, so I am not unsympathetic. However, street patrol and law enforcement are part of the job for which our officers are paid.
Perhaps if speeders were not positive they were not going to be seen, they would not feel so free to break the law. If a teacher leaves a classroom for 10 minutes, those who tend to misbehave know they can do as they wish for that time. If that same teacher developed a reputation for slipping back in unexpectedly, the students would be less prone to misbehave for fear of being caught.
I know it is not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. And if there were a real danger of being caught and real consequences for doing so, surely it would help. I have personally witnessed the fact that people who disregard speed limits also disregard speed bumps and their potential damage to their vehicles.
Personally, I think whoever invented these things should have been turned into one.
Beth Moore
Carrollton
