Poll confirms it: Local residents think speeding is a major problem
A man records himself while hanging out of the passenger side of a car doing donuts in a parking lot near the corner of Summer Avenue and White Station Road Dec. 11, 2021. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
The Daily Memphian commissioned Blueprint Polling to conduct a scientific poll that gauges local residents’ perception of crime in the community. The poll’s margin of error is less than 2%, and the pool of respondents is separated into two groups, those living within the city of Memphis and those living outside the city limits but within Shelby County. Demographics from both groups match the demographics of the communities in which they live; the poll includes responses from 2,988 people who responded from May 10 to 25.
Excessive speeding and reckless driving are nationwide issues that, for Memphians, occur daily, as evidenced by a poll commissioned by The Daily Memphian.
Nearly 70% of polled city residents say they witness speeding or reckless driving on city streets more than once a week, and 65% say they witness speeding or reckless driving on highways more than once a week. Numbers from respondents living in Shelby County outside Memphis essentially mirror those within the city limits.
Among polled county residents outside the city, roughly 80% say they witness speeding or reckless driving on Memphis streets more than once a week, and 76.7% say they see speeding or reckless driving on highways around Memphis.
Coming this week
Sunday: The Daily Memphian’s poll shows the effect of crime when it comes to how people feel about their city – victims of crime are more likely to want to leave.
Monday: Memphis candidates for mayor react to The Daily Memphian’s crime poll. Not surprisingly, all agree crime is a major issue.
Tuesday: The poll shows people’s perspectives on crime. How does that compare to actual crime data?
More in this series
An overview of The Daily Memphian’s public safety poll and what the community thinks about local crime.
Opinion: The lack of accountability, transparency and trust in the many different parts of the criminal justice system must be addressed, says Daily Memphian CEO Eric Barnes.
A large majority of Memphis-area residents support gun reform of some kind; a deeper dive shows men living outside of the city are essentially split on reform: dramatic, some or none.
In March, Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis said there would be a “sustainable presence” of Tennessee state troopers on Memphis streets. That announcement followed numerous other announcements in recent years by Tennessee Highway Patrol and Gov. Bill Lee that THP would have a more officers patrolling highways around Memphis.
However, critics — and frequent users of the highways — have questioned how, when and where those THP patrols have taken place, as THP vehicles are not often seen on the highways around Memphis.
The Daily Memphian has requested detailed information from THP on the number of patrols, citations and arrests that the agency has made and will report on that information soon.
The promise of THP’s increased presence on the highway is meant to be part of a multi-faceted approach to dealing with speeding following the renewed use of a traffic enforcement unit.
Davis, in announcing the THP presence to council members, told them during a March committee meeting that MPD plans to reinforce the relationship with the state and share hotspots.
In a press release June 20 from state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, he announced two THP initiatives in the Memphis area in what he says serves as a deterrent to reckless drivers. One is strictly focused on interstate saturation.
“The enhanced Highway Patrol presence in Memphis is improving public safety,” Taylor said in the release. “Not only are State Troopers reducing reckless driving on interstates and other state routes, but they’re arresting felons and recovering stolen vehicles.”
Taylor’s release gave statistics indicating the presence has resulted in 13 felony arrests.
Cars are clocked at going almost 20 mph over the speed limit on Sam Cooper Boulevard. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Memphis has been named one of the most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians by Smart Growth USA, along with other organizations, and speeding is a primary cause.
In 2022, at least 7,508 pedestrians were killed in the United States, a 77% jump since 2010, but only 1% more than 2021, according to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Along with the increased patrol from the state, MPD is relying on a new 10-sergeant unit reactivated in late February to help. The unit is focusing on traffic enforcement and control, albeit on a temporary basis.
“The new Traffic Unit will aid in addressing issues with speeding, amongst other traffic violations,” MPD public information officer Christopher Williams said at the time.
The city isn’t alone in trying to determine ways to slow down drivers. It is a national issue that some have attributed to fewer drivers being on the road during the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
UCLA law professor Beth Colgan previously said one of the best ways to slow down drivers is to use infrastructure that naturally reduces speeds, such as roundabouts or speed bumps. Colgan also noted that those things often only exist in communities with greater resources.
Memphis has done some of those things, including recently reducing a portion of Poplar Avenue from six lanes to four lanes near Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. The city has also experimented with traffic circles in certain areas. However, implementing such features can take time.
City Councilman Jeff Warren said in March the stretch of Poplar that was narrowed was a project in the works for a number of years because of state requirements for highways. But more of those types of changes are in the process of being implemented, Warren said.
Topics
MPD Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis speeding Subscriber Only Public Safety PollAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler is an investigative reporter and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He previously worked at the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan and Herald-Citizen.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.