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Beginning today, August 2, 2017, the Whitehall Police Department launched a tough new speed enforcement blitz for the Village of Whitehall under the tagline: “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine.” The intensified enforcement effort against speeding drivers underscores the severity of the problem, both locally and across the nation. The initiative is funded by the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, which will entail high visibility traffic enforcement focusing on reducing incidence of speed related crashes.

“Speeding translates to death on our roadways. It greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve. Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other drivers at tremendous risk,” said Chief Ernest Bassett.

In 2015, speeding was a contributing factor in 27 percent of all fatal crashes in the U.S. and more than 9,500 lives were lost in such crashes, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“During the “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine” blitz, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits in Village of Whitehall.

Fully 17 percent of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occurred on local roads -- where the posted speed limits were 55 miles per hour or under. According to NHTSA, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below. About 15 percent of the country’s speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways each year.

A NHTSA research report, “Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes,” shows that a major proportion of fatal, speeding-related single-vehicle crashes occur on rural roadways.

Speeding is not only dangerous, it's against the law and speeding kills! So... Obey the sign or pay the fine!