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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: 04/06/2011 6:25 P.M.
Contact: Cecilia Awusie
ITD Office of Highway Safety
(208) 334-8112
Kevin Haight
ISP Patrol Lieutenant
(208) 324-6000
Campaign reminds drivers to "Stop Speeding Before It Stops You"
Jerome - Excessive speed causes too many motor vehicle crashes that result in people being seriously injured or dying, so the Idaho Transportation Department is partnering with the Idaho State Police to Stop Speeding Before it Stops You.
An aggressive driving education and enforcement campaign is planned for April 7-18. Law enforcement agencies statewide will step up patrols to catch speeders on all roads in Idaho.
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.
New safety messages will be featured throughout the campaign on billboards, radio, and television. A high-visibility enforcement effort will also be important to this spring's safety effort.
"Even one life lost to speeding is one too many" said ISP Patrol Lt. Kevin Haight. "This is why the Idaho State Police is partnering with ITD's Office of Highway Safety to make our highways safer and remind drivers to Stop Speeding Before it Stops You." Over the last three years (2008-2010), 32% of all fatalities and 21% of all serious injuries resulted from speed-related crashes. In the same time period, speed-related crashes resulted in 214 fatalities and 883 serious injuries.
The education and enforcement campaign is funded by a federal grant administered by ITD. The campaign is part of the department's commitment to achieve a goal of zero deaths on Idaho's highways.
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