SPEEDING ENFORCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7-12-21

CONTACT: Captain J Winkles, 870-578-2116, jwinkles@poinsettcounty.us

Poinsett County Sheriff's Department

Launches New Enforcement Blitz Against Speeding

"Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine"

Poinsett County Sheriff's Department today launched a tough new speed enforcement blitz for Poinsett County under the tagline: "Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine."  The intensified enforcement effort against speeding drivers underscores the severity of the problem, both locally and across the nation.

In 2015, speeding was a contributing factor in 27 percent of all fatal crashes in the U.S. and more than 9,500 lives were lost in such crashes, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Fully 17 percent of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occurred on local roads -- where the posted speed limits were 55 miles per hour or under. According to NHTSA, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below. About 15 percent of the country's speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways each year.

 A NHTSA research report, "Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes," shows that a major proportion of fatal, speeding-related single-vehicle crashes occur on rural roadways.

Across America in 2015, speeding was a factor in 17 percent of all fatal crashes on dry roads, and in 21 percent of those occurring on wet roads. In wintry conditions, the numbers were even worse -- with speeding a factor in 34 percent of the fatal crashes when there was snow or slush on the road, and in 43 percent of the fatal crashes that occurred on icy roads.

NHTSA considers a crash speeding-related if the driver was charged with exceeding the posted speed limit or if the driver was driving too fast for conditions at the time.

For more information please visit http://trafficsafetymarketing.gov/.