North Carolina, Alamance County Politician Seeks to Have Speeding Ticket Paid for by Campaign Funds

On April 27, former District 64 state Rep. Cary Allred of Alamance County, North Carolina, was stopped by a state Highway Patrol trooper for reaching a speed of 102 mph as he was on his way to Raleigh, North Carolina to cast a vote in the General Assembly. Most people that are clocked at that range would simply admit their mistake, take responsibility, pay for the penalty out of their own pocket, and be done with it. Granted, in certain circumstances one might request a "prayer for judgment", hire a lawyer to prove one's vehicle had "faulty equipment" in order to prevent one's insurance premiums from skyrocketing, or ask for a dismissal of the charge. But to request authorization from the Board of Elections to have campaign funds pay for costs related to your speeding ticket is unheard of for most of us folks. How many of your average blue collar, hard working, and middle-class Americans have a line item in their employer's budget that would cover their "tail" if they were speeding in order to get to work on time?

Total cost of Allred's ticket, lawyer fees, and other costs--$1,835.

State law, Allred said, allows elected officials to use campaign funds "to pay for expenses related to performing your duties."

Allred further stated that drivers on the interstate travel 102 mph "all the time" and shouldn't "necessarily" get a ticket "when they are trying to get around traffic. It was not a continuous thing. It was just a burst of speed."

"Police and emergency workers 'break the speed limit for the public good. What I was trying to do was for the public good,'" Allred said.

"Public good?" What if Rep. Allred had killed someone on his hurried trip to Raleigh? Speed limits are created for "public good." The thought behind speed laws is that excessive speeding is dangerous to other drivers.

When I was a senior in high school I was curious to know what it would feel like to drive my 79' Chevy Nova in excess of 100 mph. As my friend and I were racing down the highway I noticed two cars side by side that I was approaching more rapidly than anticipated. Neither one moved out of the way. I laid down my horn. My brakes were not working like they did at lesser speeds. I panicked. I thought it was over for my friend and I. Fortunately; I finally had my license taken away from a later speeding incident (85 mph in a 55 mph zone). I was deemed a "habitual offender." And I was. And I was dangerous. And I did have to pay for my tickets, court costs, and resulting SR-22 insurance (state required high risk insurance).

When we teach our children about taking responsibility for their actions the average citizen would refer Rep. Allred's recent attempt in explaining away his actions as a line of defense called rationalization. When I discussed this local piece of news with my son I wondered what kind of impact this was having on his own thought processes about morality. Do leaders really think they live in a vacuum where their statements, actions, and lifestyles have no repercussions on our youth?

When Allred discovered that our local paper, the Times-News, would be reporting the refusal for his request to have his speeding ticket taken care of he said, "I think it's ridiculous for you to be reporting on it. You're beating a dead horse. The issue's already been settled. You just keep bringing it up because you want to drag my name through the dirt, instead of letting people remember the 29 years of good deeds that I did.

"And you want to focus my whole d*#! career on one bad night. I have been treated worse than Edward Kennedy was when he killed Mary Jo Kepechne. I was not drunk...I don't hurt anybody."

Mr. Allred may not have killed anyone but I wonder how many people it bothered in our county that he wanted someone else to pay for his speeding ticket, lawyer fees, and other costs.

By the way, for the normal person, the Department of Motor Vehicles suspends driving privileges for convictions involving speeds of more than 55 mph that are 15 miles over the limit. Allred may qualify for limited driving privileges, ironically enough, for driving to work. Should we create a separate speed limit law for him as well since his speeding is "job related?"

SOURCES:

TheTimesNews.com (www.thetimesnews.com/news/state-31431-class-board.html)

Newsobserver.com (http://projects.newsobserver.com/taxonomy/term/312,312)