Arkansas – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Arkansas Highway Safety Office are teaming up with Arkansas law enforcement to keep everyone on the road safe by raising awareness about the dangers of speeding and urging drivers to obey speed limits.
According to a press release, till the end of July, Arkansas State Police Troopers, city police, and sheriff’s Deputies will be pulling over any drivers that violate the Arkansas Speed Limit laws and will be serving tickets as part of the Speeding Slows You Down high-visibility enforcement campaign. Speeding can harm not only you but other drivers, passengers, and other vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists. According to NHTSA, local roads are more dangerous than highways for speeders. This is why officers will be sitting out with speed guns. Multiple police departments, sheriff’s offices, and other agencies have announced their involvement in this movement and their intentions to speed-check every car they see.
“We are asking our community to please slow down,” said Colonel Mike Hagar. “Our goal is to save lives, and we’re putting all drivers on alert — the posted speed limit is the law. No excuses.”
Speeding can have real consequences for not only your wallet but for your safety as well. In 2022, there were 12,151 fatalities in speeding-related crashes nationwide, accounting for 29% of total traffic fatalities. Young drivers and motorcyclists are especially susceptible to high speeds, and they represent the largest demographic involved in speeding-related vehicle crashes. In 2022, 35% of male drivers and 19% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding. Thirty-five percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2022 were speeding. Motorcycle riders 21 to 24 years old involved in fatal crashes had the highest speeding involvement at 51%.
For more information, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding or call the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at (501) 618-8136, and go to https://www.tzdarkansas.org/ to learn about Arkansas’ Toward Zero Deaths campaign to eliminate preventable traffic fatalities. Remember, Speeding Slows You Down.
