Friday, April 22, 2011

ITD and ISP partnered to remind drivers, "Stop Speeding Before It Stops You"

IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer
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IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE
Region 4 Patrol 218 West Yakima, Jerome, ID 83338-5904 (208) 324-6000
Fax (208) 324-7897

For Immediate Release: April 22nd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Contacts:
Cecilia Awusie
ITD Office of Highway Safety
(208) 334-8112

Kevin Haight
ISP Patrol Lieutenant
(208) 324-6000


The Idaho Transportation Department and Idaho State Police Troopers partnered to stop aggressive drivers and remind drivers to "Stop Speeding Before It Stops You"

The Idaho Transportation Department partnered with the Idaho State Police and other law enforcement agencies across Idaho to make highways safer by funding high visibility aggressive driving patrols April 7 - April 18.

During this campaign, Region 4 Idaho State Police troopers focused on enforcement of speed limits and traffic laws & citing those drivers who were unbelted. Here is a summary of the results:

Total Contacts: 1169
DUI Arrests 8
Seat Belt Citations 48
Youth Seat Belt Citations 3
Child Safety Seat Citations 9
Felony Arrests 3
Fugitives Apprehended 2
Suspended Licenses 19
Uninsured Motorists 111
Speeding Citations 569
Following Too Closely 4
Disregarding a Signal 2
Failure to Yield 7
Too Fast For Conditions 1
Youth Speeding Citations 3
Reckless Driving Citations 2
Drug Arrests 12
Underage Alcohol Arrests 1
Various Other Contacts 89

Jerome - Excessive speed causes too many motor vehicle crashes that result in people being seriously injured or dying.

Speeding is an aggressive driving behavior that is consistently a contributing factor in more than one third of all fatal crashes across the state, according to ITD highway safety statistics.

"We want motorists to know that doing simple things like obeying traffic signs, waiting for other drivers, or just slowing down can save your life and the lives of others," said Cecilia Awusie, with ITD's Office of Highway Safety.

"Drivers must recognize what aggressive driving is, understand the risk, and know they will be ticketed if they choose to drive aggressively," Lt. Haight explained. "Those occupants wearing a seatbelt during a speed-related crash increase their chance of survival greatly," says Lt. Haight.

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