September 22, 2016 – Motorists enjoying the first signs of Fall are advised to maintain the speed limit as they travel this weekend. Between September 23-25, 2016 Oklahoma Highway Patrol and 24 other law enforcement agencies across the state will join participating law enforcement from Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma in a Regional Speed Enforcement Campaign. Troopers will be on the lookout for those who are traveling above the speed limit on all roadways.
Law enforcement officers across the state will patrol approximately 1,156 miles of roadway. By concentrating law enforcement on high traffic corridors, organizers hope to put motorists on guard and encourage safe driving.
“Speeding is a serious problem on Oklahoma roadways and has contributed to multiple traffic crashes, especially those that resulted in deaths. Too many of our fellow citizens are impacted by drivers who drive too fast for the road conditions or exceed the speed limit,” said Major McCoy, Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “In order to get drivers to slow down and reduce the number of crashes and fatalities, we plan to intensify enforcement of posted speed limits in Oklahoma. We’ll stop and ticket anyone caught speeding,” he said.
Nationwide, 27% of crash fatalities in 2015 were related to a driver exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for conditions. Fully 86 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 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (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 14 percent of the country’s speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways each year. 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.
“Our goal is to save lives and we’re putting all drivers on alert – the posted speed limit IS THE LAW. No more warnings and no more excuses. When it comes to speeding: Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine,” said Major McCoy.
