Holland, MI —
Sadly, the case of Curtis Jacobs is far from uncommon. The 19-year-old Jacobs, who was riding his bicycle Saturday morning when he was struck by a car at U.S. 31 and Quincy Street, joins a long list of innocent Holland area residents killed by drunken drivers. In addition, Jacobs is at least the sixth local resident killed in the last 10 years by individuals driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Rob Welling. Jennifer Chrispell. Anthony Walker. Damon Brandon. Laurie Lamar. And now Curtis Jacobs. All were killed in collisions caused by people who were not only driving irresponsibly, but weren’t even supposed to be allowed on the road in the first place. Several national studies have pointed to the disproportionate number — and severity — of traffic accidents involving drivers with suspended licenses. All these factors lead us to ask what can be done to make license suspensions effective and keep dangerous drivers off the road.
Cracking down on individuals who drive with suspended licenses is not an easy task. Driving with a suspended license is not an offense like speeding or running a red light that can be readily observed by a police officer. It’s a crime of conscience, one that relies on the cooperation of the suspended driver to enforce. But the incentive to break the law can be high — suspended drivers may believe they have no alternative to get to work or that the chance of being caught is low.
The penalties for causing an accident while driving with a suspended license can be stiff. The charge of causing death while driving with a suspended license carries a maximum 15-year prison term; an injury crash can land the offender up to five years in prison. That’s a meaningful after-the-fact punishment, but not an effective deterrent. Simply driving with a suspended license is a misdemeanor in Michigan, even for as many as five offenses in seven years; a first offense carries a maximum jail term of 93 days, and only after a third offense can an offender’s vehicle be “immobilized” for a period of time.
Given the fact that licenses are usually suspended for drunken driving or a history of reckless behavior behind the wheel, we believe a harder line must be taken on suspended licenses. Any person caught driving with a suspended license should have his or her vehicle confiscated, permanently. Confiscation should be the penalty even if the vehicle belongs to a friend or relative, as long as that person willingly let the suspended driver use it. Drivers who insist upon flouting the law even after their own cars are taken away should be incarcerated for an extended period of time. We either lock up the car or we lock up the driver.
We can see making exceptions for individuals whose licenses are suspended for non-driving offenses, such as failure to carry insurance, but most suspended drivers have proven that they are a danger on the road. A license suspension or revocation must be a real sanction, not a suggestion that a driver may or may not follow. Increasing the penalties for driving with a suspended license will not eliminate tragedies like the death of Curtis Jacobs. However, we hope it will make them less common.
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Davison's Frank Lamp headed to Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame
FLINT, Michigan — Frank Lamp lost both of his jobs and a close friend in one trip to the racetrack.
The Davison resident installed insulation and hauled two ARCA race cars for George Sparks of Detroit in the early 1950s.
During an ARCA event in Dayton, Ohio, Sparks was killed in an accident in the track's pit area.
"It was very devastating, the loss of him," Lamp, 74, recalled. "George was a very nice man."
As a result of the accident, Lamp moved from Detroit to Davison and started up his own company, State Building Company, in 1955.
Reviving his racing career was not a high priority, but eventually he decided to build his own car.
Lamp competed for 27 years in the super stocks class at Auto City Speedway, Dixie Motor Speedway and Owosso Speedway, winning almost every big race those tracks had.
Because of his accomplishments, Lamp is being inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Nov. 1 at the Comfort Inn in Mount Pleasant.
"It's quite an honor," Lamp said of the hall of fame. "I didn't ever think I would get something like that."
The West Virginia native started racing at Auto City in 1964 and instantly became one the speedway's premier drivers.
He finished in fifth place the following year before moving up to the super stocks where he finished in top three spots from 1966-69.
"He was one of those guys you had to worry about beating when you came to Auto City," former Auto City owner Jack Doering said. "He wasn't afraid of anything, He put the pedal to the medal and drove through the corners wide open."
He competed in the ARCA series from 1974-76, racing at such high-profile tracks as Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Fla., and Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.
"There were a lot of hot shooters in the ARCA series," Lamp said. "If there was a NASCAR show, (NASCAR drivers) would race the ARCA shows as well. I was a factor most of the time."
Lamp returned to Auto City in the late 1970s and captured back-to-back track championships in the super stocks in 1977 and '78.
According to Lamp, his victories and accomplishments at Flint-area tracks always meant the most to him.
"Each and every one was great because they were in my backyard," Lamp said. "Everyone knew who I was. It was home."
Source
The Davison resident installed insulation and hauled two ARCA race cars for George Sparks of Detroit in the early 1950s.
During an ARCA event in Dayton, Ohio, Sparks was killed in an accident in the track's pit area.
"It was very devastating, the loss of him," Lamp, 74, recalled. "George was a very nice man."
As a result of the accident, Lamp moved from Detroit to Davison and started up his own company, State Building Company, in 1955.
Reviving his racing career was not a high priority, but eventually he decided to build his own car.
Lamp competed for 27 years in the super stocks class at Auto City Speedway, Dixie Motor Speedway and Owosso Speedway, winning almost every big race those tracks had.
Because of his accomplishments, Lamp is being inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Nov. 1 at the Comfort Inn in Mount Pleasant.
"It's quite an honor," Lamp said of the hall of fame. "I didn't ever think I would get something like that."
The West Virginia native started racing at Auto City in 1964 and instantly became one the speedway's premier drivers.
He finished in fifth place the following year before moving up to the super stocks where he finished in top three spots from 1966-69.
"He was one of those guys you had to worry about beating when you came to Auto City," former Auto City owner Jack Doering said. "He wasn't afraid of anything, He put the pedal to the medal and drove through the corners wide open."
He competed in the ARCA series from 1974-76, racing at such high-profile tracks as Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Fla., and Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.
"There were a lot of hot shooters in the ARCA series," Lamp said. "If there was a NASCAR show, (NASCAR drivers) would race the ARCA shows as well. I was a factor most of the time."
Lamp returned to Auto City in the late 1970s and captured back-to-back track championships in the super stocks in 1977 and '78.
According to Lamp, his victories and accomplishments at Flint-area tracks always meant the most to him.
"Each and every one was great because they were in my backyard," Lamp said. "Everyone knew who I was. It was home."
Source
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