CTDOT Press Releases
07/11/2024
Slow Down, Save Lives: CTDOT Launches Statewide Enforcement to Combat Speeding
Speeding was responsible for 115 fatalities in Connecticut in 2022
NEWINGTON, CT – This summer, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, in collaboration with state and local law enforcement and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is launching a high-visibility anti-speeding enforcement campaign. The campaign aims to increase awareness and promote safer driving behaviors with increased speed limit enforcement. The campaign runs from July 1 to September 5, 2024.
In 2022, the last year of verifiable data, Connecticut recorded 115 fatalities due to speeding and reckless driving, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue.
Speeding accounts for roughly one-third of all traffic-related fatalities nationally. It is a form of reckless driving that jeopardizes the safety of all road users and remains a significant threat to public safety. It also just isn’t a problem on the highway. According to NHTSA, in 2022, 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on American roads occurred on non-interstate roadways.
“The dangerous, selfish, reckless behaviors we’re seeing on our roadways are costing people their lives. We need our community to do their part and slow down to help keep everyone safe,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “Through this campaign we’re sending a very clear message to drivers. Speeding-related deaths in Connecticut are preventable and can be avoided by obeying all posted speed limits.”
“These fatality numbers – 115 killed in traffic collisions due to speed – tell the story: drivers are still traveling too fast on Connecticut roads,” said Colonel Daniel Loughman, Commanding Officer of the Connecticut State Police. “The State Police works constantly to educate operators on the necessity of following all posted speed limits. Too often, we have seen firsthand the tragic results of speeding on our roadways. Crashes due to speeding are preventable, so we again ask all who get behind the wheel to be our partners in public safety by driving the speed limit.”
“The simple truth is this: Speed kills. Connecticut’s police officers are dedicated to preventing these senseless deaths through vigorous speed enforcement. Please slow down,” said Watertown Police Chief and Chairman of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association Traffic Safety Committee Josh Bernegger.
For more information about the dangers of speeding, visit nhtsa.gov.
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