Law enforcement officers from Evesham Township will be cracking down on speeding motorists this summer, as part of the “Obey the Sings or Pay the Fines” initiative.
Beginning July 1 and running through July 31, approximately 75 municipalities will participate in the statewide effort to help motorists remain safe on New Jersey roads during the busy summer travel season. Police agencies throughout the State will receive grants of $4,000 each to conduct saturation patrols, looking for motorists traveling in excess of the posted speed limit on local streets and county and state highways.
In place since 2006, the program was developed in response to the pervasive speeding problem on New Jersey roadways. During the program’s first year, 114 police agencies in four counties (Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic) participated in the effort, which resulted in a total of 6,357 speeding summonses being issued. Last year, the initiative was expanded to seven northern New Jersey counties with 171 participating agencies issuing 10,898 speeding tickets. This is the first year the program will be conducted statewide.
“Excessive speed is the most common cause of aggressive driving associated with traffic crashes,” said Pam Fischer, Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “In 2008 there were 22,118 crashes related to unsafe speed in New Jersey. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, and extends the distance needed to safely stop a vehicle. Motorists simply must slow down and obey the posted speed limit on all roads all the time.”
Information on this initiative, as well as a 38-question quiz designed to help motorists recognize their own aggressive driving behaviors, is available on the Division’s web site at www.njsaferoads.com. Questions on the quiz include: “Do you maintain appropriate distance when following other vehicles, bicyclists, motorcyclists; provide appropriate distance when cutting in after passing vehicles; yield to pedestrians; maintain speeds appropriate for conditions; yield and/or move to the right for emergency vehicles; avoid challenging other drivers; and, refrain from flashing your headlights to signal a desire to pass.”
