The Mountain View Police Department has launched a tough new speed enforcement blitz for the City of Mountain View 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.
“Speeding translates to death on our roadways. It greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve. Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other drivers at tremendous risk,” said Chief George Bethell.
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).
“During the “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine” blitz, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits in the City of Mountain View. We’ll stop and ticket anyone caught speeding — especially on Main Street and Webb Street where a lot of pedestrian foot traffic occurs and where most of our speed-related crashes occur,” said Chief Bethell.
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.
“Driving above the posted speed limit or speeding in bad weather conditions dramatically increases the probability that a motorist will be involved in a crash,” said Chief Bethell.
“During this enforcement blitz, officers will be out targeting and ticketing speeding drivers,” said Chief Bethell. “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.”
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.
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