HSPD to join in statewide crackdown on speeders
Hot Springs police will join the Arkansas State Police and other law enforcement agencies in a statewide two-week crackdown directed at speeders beginning today.
Speeding violations on Arkansas roadways continue to rise and law enforcement officers plan to ban together in a united operation under the banner, “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine,” according to a news release.
“It’s an acknowledged fact, as a motor vehicle’s speed increases, so do the risks of injuries and deaths on roadways,” Col. Bill Bryant, director of the Arkansas State Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety representative, said in the release.
“A driver exceeding the posted speed limit is less likely to avoid a hazardous object in the road, safely steer away from another vehicle or negotiate an unfamiliar curve or highway exit,” he said.
According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, during 2020, there were 11,258 people killed in speeding-related crashes, accounting for 29% of all fatal crashes in the United States.
“Much like impaired driving, speeding is a selfish choice that can have deadly consequences for the driver, vehicle passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. Speeding not only affects a driver’s ability to steer properly, but also affects stopping distances. Even the safest cars equipped with the newest safety technology have limitations in the advances made to reduce the odds of a crash,” the release said.
According to the NHTSA, local roads are the most dangerous for speeders. The 2020 data reports that 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on U.S. roads occurred on noninterstate roadways. The NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related if a driver was charged with exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions.
“During the upcoming special speed enforcement operation, state troopers and other law enforcement officers won’t be accepting excuses, the posted speed limit is the law,” Bryant said. “Our goal will always be to save lives.”
For more information on the “Obey the Sign, or Pay the Fine” mobilization, visit http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov or contact the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at 501-618-8136.