Tow Truck Operator Says Ridgeland Cameras Saving His Life

A day after the controversy over Ridgeland's traffic cameras zoomed in on the big guys, a Beaufort tow truck operator says they're saving lives.  A senate subcommittee met Wednesday and gave its approval to a bill that would ban the manned-cameras that sit along I-95 in Ridgeland.  One lawmaker told the town's mayor the operation is against the law, citing a law that prohibits tickets based on photographic evidence.  The mayor, however, disagrees -- saying the cameras only give additional proof to what the officers inside an RV see for themselves.  Mayor Gary Hodges has repeatedly said it's all about safety.  Tickets are mailed to those clocked at 81 miles per hour or higher.

If you've ever had to pull over on the interstate, you know that emergency lane is pretty narrow.  That's where Lee Thomas does most of his work and in the past five months he went from turning down Ridgeland calls to taking them.  He says the change came in the cameras.

Thirty years in the tow truck operating business and Lee Thomas can describe a lot of roads in Beaufort and Jasper counties.  And when it comes to interstate 95-

"Scare you to death,” Thomas said.”    “It was probably equivalent to being in your own war.  Instead of Iraq I'm on 95."

That was pre-traffic cams.  These days it's a whole different ball game.

"Now if I go in that area and the cameras are running, like I say, they're all uniformed, they're all going down the road, they all move over like they're supposed to. It's made more of a difference than the regular person would know,” Thomas said.

While it wasn't necessarily designed to make the emergency lane a better work environment, those who do business there are appreciative.

"There needs to be something to help us with safety for people like us and other departments that have to work on the side of the road,” Wayne Cairnes of Hubba Bubba Towing said.

But the cameras are gaining critics a whole lot faster than they are fans and Thomas admits, when this all began he wasn't so sure either.

“I thought it was a typical money scam,” he said.  “Little town trying to get money."

But since the area becomes his work field about five times a day, he's witnessed the changes himself, he says and can't help but back the system.

"Thanks to the cameras, I will continue to assist the people in that area whereas we were almost about to just turn that area down,” he said.

Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges released the text of his statement he made before a Senate subcommittee Wednesday:

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee--thank you for allowing me to speak with you today.  My name is Gary Hodges.  I am the Mayor of the Town of Ridgeland in Jasper County.

I acknowledge that automated speed enforcement is a very controversial issue.  However, in Ridgeland we have reduced the percentage of violators traveling over "80" mph on I-95 by 57%.  We have reduced the percentage of violators traveling over "85" mph by 78%.  Based on our data, more than 98% of the vehicles now traveling through Ridgeland are NOT excessively speeding.  However, less than 2% are still excessively speeding and this is a very serious problem considering the volume of traffic on I-95.  So the question is:  Do we think that it is more important to protect the 98% of people who deserve our attention and efforts?  Or, do we concern ourselves with the less than 2% who think they can do as they wish by continuing to endanger the motoring public?

I am respectfully asking you gentlemen to take your time and please give this matter the proper attention that it deserves.  I am pleading with you to conduct full and thorough hearings that will allow the professionals to address this critical public safety issue.  I hope you will seek testimony from the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of Public Safety, the Commander of the Highway Patrol and the Insurance Commissioner, as well as other interested parties.

Nationwide, there are now 80 communities that have automated speed enforcement.  Additionally, more than 500 communities now have automated red-light enforcement.  The U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Insurance Institute for Highway Safety all endorse automated speed enforcement programs.  I strongly encourage you to seek their advice and counsel prior to making a decision.  These national agencies can provide substantial data to help you in the process.

In Ridgeland, we have been unfairly labeled as a speed trap.  Our program is limited to I-95 and the 70 mph speed limit is clearly and frequently posted.   We have large signs at the town limits stating that "photo-radar speed enforcement" is in operation.  We allow you 10 mph over the speed limit just like most other jurisdictions with major highways. 

Senators, we are not a speed trap.  We are a law enforcement success story and the data proves this.   Our program is now in its sixth month and the results are very clear:  We have reduced average monthly accidents by more than 40%.   We have reduced accidents with injuries by more than 50%.   We have not had a fatality on I-95 in more than six (6) months.  In fact, we have not even had an I-95 accident victim hospitalized since the program's inception.  And, we estimate that more than seven (7) million vehicles have passed through Ridgeland during this time period.

As a career military police officer, I was stationed in the Philippines in the mid 1970s and in Korea in the early 1980s.  In both places, I had to go to a central location, wait for 30 minutes for a connection and then pay $3.00 per minute to call my family in Ridgeland.  Today, I can pick up a small cell phone and talk to someone in these countries in a matter of seconds.  I can also use a computer to send a multi-page document to these countries in a matter of seconds.  Technology is a wonderful thing!  Why can't we use it to save lives?  Why can't we use it to prevent people from being killed on our highways?  Why can't we use it to protect our police officers?  I think these are valid questions and they deserve to be completely answered before a decision is made on the bill before this subcommittee.

If you have never stood on the side of a highway and observed "a body being bagged" then you should try it--it will rip your heart out, especially if it is an innocent child.  I know because I have been there.   If you have never attended the funeral of a police officer who was killed "just doing his job" then you should try it--it will change your life.  I know because I have been there.  We can reduce such tragedies!   The question is how many more senseless tragedies will it take before we act?

Technology has provided us with a way to provide the best possible public safety for our citizens, in a safe and cost effective manner, and that's what we are doing in the Town of Ridgeland. 

It takes conviction to "think" outside of the box.  It takes "courage" to act outside of the box.   I have both and I am willing to fight for this program "simply" because it works!

I will close by asking you to please join me in this fight.  Please help me help you save lives on the highways within our state.  Please help me help you protect our dedicated police officers.   Let's work together to make South Carolina a place where we can protect our citizens, as well as a place where we can proudly promote tourism by clearly stating that if you drive "to" or "through" this great state, you can rest assured that you and your family WILL BE SAFE!   Thank You.

Gary W. Hodges

Mayor of Ridgeland

January 26, 2011