Police departments announce speeding awareness days
Drivers who have a lead foot need to keep a close eye on their speedometers over the next few weeks.
The Rock Falls Police Department is joining law enforcement groups from eleven states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri) in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Region 5 and 7 on Wednesday, July 26th for the annual Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign.
This campaign is an effort to address a continued trend of speeding and hazardous moving violations leading to personal injury and fatal crashes. Speeding is involved in about one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities nationwide. Early NHTSA statistical projections for 2022 show 42,759 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, which represents a marginal decrease of 0.3% in traffic deaths when compared to 2021, when 42,939 people lost their lives in crashes. There were 5,864 fatal injuries in the Region 5 six-state area in 2021 with 1,780 (30.35%) of them being speed related fatalities. Traffic crashes that result in death due to speeding are usually higher from June through September.
4 More
The Rock Island Police Department is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois State Police (ISP) to cut down on speeding drivers. Stepped up patrols will be out from August 1-13 and ticketing speeders. “Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in careless and risky driving,” said Police Chief Richard Landi. “Speed limits aren’t a suggestion – they are the law.”
The consequences for speeding include:
- Greater potential for loss of vehicle control
- Reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment
- Increased stopping distance after the driver detects a danger
- Increased degree of crash severity, leading to more severe injuries
- Economic implications of a speed-related crash (medical bills, lost wages, etc.)
- Increased fuel consumption/cost
Drivers who speed are also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, such as not wearing a seat belt, impaired driving or using a cell phone while driving said the NHTSA. The speed awareness campaign’s goal is to combine increased, zero-tolerance enforcement with effective communication to drivers on the importance of obeying the speed limit.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sMHRqqyanJOewaqx0meaqKVfo7K4v46lppyZnGK7psPSaKeopJmYsm6wxKmYq6ydmru1v4yapaenpaOwpnnSqZyenJmjtG6t1pqpnqaVqMBusMCyqmg%3D