Slow Down Or Else: It's Speed Awareness Week In New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle police are putting a special emphasis this week on reminding drivers that having a "lead foot" isn't always a victimless crime and that reminder could be expensive.

The New Rochelle Police Department is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to help keep drivers and passengers safe by raising awareness of the risks of speeding and reminding them to obey speed limits and use common sense.

In 2020, there were 11,258 people killed in speed-related crashes, accounting for 29 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States. This was an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. Motorists will see officers working together from August 14-21, to take speeding drivers off the roads, in an effort to protect lives.

Similar to impaired driving, speeding is a selfish choice that can have deadly consequences for the driver, passengers and pedestrians, officials explained. Speeding impairs a driver's ability to safely steer around other vehicles, hazardous objects or unexpected curves, according to NHTSA studies. In addition, speeding affects stopping distances, which means that as speed increases, the odds of a crash also increase. Even the newest cars with the most up-to-date safety technologies are limited in how much they can acutally help reduce the odds of a crash.

According to NHTSA statistics, local roads are more dangerous than highways for speeders. In 2020, 87 percent of all speed-related traffic fatalities on U.S. roads occurred on non-interstate roadways.

"Speeding is a choice that drivers make, and this decision can have deadly consequences for the driver, their passenger and pedestrians," Det. Sgt. Myron Joseph of the New Rochelle Police Department's Traffic Unit explained. "During this campaign, officers will increase efforts to help remind drivers to slow down and obey the posted limit. If we see you speeding, you will be pulled over and fined."

Young people and motorcyclists are especially susceptible to high speeds, and they represent the largest demographic involved in speed-related vehicle crashes. In 2020, 30 percent of male drivers ages 18-34 and 17 percent of female drivers ages 18-34 involved in fatal crashes were speeding.

Alcohol and weather also increase the chances of a crash while speeding. In 2020, 37 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding and had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, compared to 17 percent of non-speeding drivers. The chances of a crash on wet roads increase drastically when a vehicle is speeding.

"We are asking our community to please slow down and obey the posted signs," Det. Sgt. Joseph concluded. "Our goal is to save lives and we're putting all drivers on alert- the posted speed limit is the law. No excuses."