The stack of wreck reports for last year in Roanoke Rapids reflects 100 of them per month.

A random sampling reflects reasons for these crashes — failing to decrease speed; failure to see before starting; safe movement violations and a crash in a parking lot where the victim vehicle was backed into four times, the offending driver believing they had run over a pothole four times and not another vehicle.

This coming Monday, the police department is looking to have a week where there are no crashes.

It will be a week where issuance of the $40 city ordinance violation is suspended, said Sergeant Richard White and instead officers will write state citations where the fine starts $200 and goes upward.

 A state citation book.

“This campaign will be an aggressive enforcement effort to help reduce motor vehicle crashes and the property damage and injuries that occur during these crashes,” Chief Chuck Hasty said in a statement. “Roanoke Rapids sees about 100 motor vehicles crashes per month, many of these crashes result in occupants having to be transported to the hospital for injuries sustained during the crash. Roanoke Rapids averages about three fatalities per year as a result of motor vehicle crashes.”

Said White: “We're seeing speeding more than anything, seat belt use, stop signs and texting.”

Deputy Chief Andy Jackson said people will come to the police department to complain about speeding on Old Farm Road.

Old Farm Road, a residential section with a 25 miles per hour speed limit, is one of the problem areas. There are others throughout the city, White and Jackson said — East Tenth Street and Becker Drive; East Tenth Street and Julian R. Allsbrook Highway; Becker Drive and Old Farm Road and Bolling Road, just to name a few.

Old Farm Road is problematic because it is used to avoid the traffic lights on Tenth Street.

“It's a residential area,” Jackson said. “People have children, people need to back out onto the road.”

At 20 miles per hour, it takes the average vehicle 40 feet to stop, White said. “By increasing the speed by 10 miles per hour it's 75 feet to stop a vehicle if a child runs out. I've seen folks traveling 40 miles per hour. That's 118 feet compared to 40 feet at 20 miles per hour.”

The reason for the increase in wrecks is the faster pace of society, Jackson said. “Everybody's in a hurry. Everyone's trying to cram everything into one day.”

The biggest reason people give for speeding, Jackson said, is they are in a hurry. White has had people tell him to hurry up and write their tickets.

White said he hopes the public will voluntarily comply with next week's effort to avoid having officers write them costly state tickets, which carry possible loss of driving and insurance points. “They need to wear their seat belts and not text while driving.”

Jackson said it is a matter of practicing time management. “Your family needs to carefully plan time management. It will help as far as insurance premiums. It's going to take a team effort in reducing the number of wrecks. People need to stop and think. If they get caught speeding it's going to be a state citation and not a city ordinance violation. It means hundreds of dollars and cost you license points and insurance points.”

The damage costs from 100 wrecks a month last year are astronomical, White said. “Property damage is in the millions. An average motor vehicle crash, you're looking it could cost you a couple of grand at the low end.”

White is hoping the driving public will comply and there are no wrecks next week.

“We want no wrecks,” Jackson said. “It's like a business promoting an accident-free workplace.”

The rewards of having a crash-free week may be unseen, White said. “If you're in a crash it means loss of your vehicle and having to get something else to drive. The reward is every time you leave home and come back you've had a good day.”

The operation, Jackson said, is a good time for parents to talk to their teen drivers. “They need to have a heart to heart with with them and let them know what the consequences are.”