‘Stop driving like you’re in a NASCAR race’ trooper tweets as coronavirus speeds rise
Washington State Patrol Trooper Heather Axtman says she’s had enough — less than a week after Mother’s Day, she’s calling in the big guns.
“I’ve been banging my drum about this as loud as I can for nearly two months now,” Axtman told The Bellingham Herald Wednesday, April 14. “I’ve been shouting from the rooftop. The next time I have to make a social media post about speeding during the coronavirus pandemic, I’m going to do it — I’m going to include the hashtag ‘I’m telling mom.’”
It didn’t take Axtman long to carry through on her threat.
Only hours after speaking to The Herald, Axtman posted to Twitter at 3:50 p.m. Wednesday, saying “If I can give some advice..... I don’t suggest passing a trooper while your going 113 mph! #slowdown #wevealreadytalkedaboutthis #imtellingmom.”
Mom may be the only one who can bring some sanity back to our roadways, Axtman said. In a time when we’re all supposed to be Staying Home and Staying Healthy, by order of Gov. Jay Inslee, a lot of drivers seem to be in an awful hurry to get somewhere, she said.
On Tuesday, April 13, Axtman posted to Twitter that a crew of five troopers on motorcycles in Snohomish County stopped 62 cars on Monday, April 11, each going at least 80 mph. The fastest was going 98 mph.
Axtman’s May 3 post said a trooper caught a Corvette going 192 mph on U.S. 2 in Snohomish County.
“Please stop driving like you’re in a NASCAR race,” Axtman tweeted April 21 in response to a car clocked going 127 mph in a 60 mph zone.
Axtman told The Herald she did not have any specific numbers for Whatcom County speeders, but said, “Statewide, we’re seeing a lot of excessive speed. We’re seeing it up there (in Whatcom County), the same as we’re seeing it everywhere. Everybody just thinks now is a great time to open things up, and it’s not.”
As evidence of that, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spotted a pair of Honda Civics racing northbound on Guide Meridian Monday evening, May 11, that they paced reaching speeds of 115 mph. Making matters worse, one of the drivers was reportedly found to have his girlfriend and their 2-year-old son in the car with him during the street race. He was booked into jail for reckless driving.
Axtman said she doesn’t know why the pandemic and resulting orders to stay home have seemingly created an outbreak of lead feet, but she said she suspects it’s because there are fewer vehicles on the roadways.
“I think when there are less cars, people feel empowered to speed excessively,” Axtman said. “But the truth is those speed limits are there for a reason. They’re set at what’s a safe speed in ideal situations. If you drive faster than that, you have less reaction time, and it’s just a recipe for disaster.”
That becomes even more true as the state begins slowly opening back up for business and more people return to the roads regularly.
“We’re already seeing more cars out there, so this has got to stop,” Axtman said. “If it doesn’t, I’m telling mom — I really am.”
