WOODSTOCK — Chief Robbie Blish wishes to share that the Woodstock Police Department is participating in a regional effort to reduce speeding communities throughout Vermont and beyond.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched its “Slow Down New England” campaign in late July in order to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding and encourage drivers to take it slow on the roads.
In 2020, there were 11,258 people killed in speeding-related crashes, accounting for 29% of all fatal crashes in the United States, which represented a 17% increase from 2019 despite a sharp decline in the amount of traffic on roads as a result of COVID-19.
Woodstock Police are joining this regional effort by placing an increased emphasis on identifying and stopping vehicles exceeding the speed limit in town, and educating drivers on the dangers of speeding will be officers’ top priority.
“Each mile you drive over the speed limit increases the likelihood of a crash, and our officers will be closely monitoring roads to ensure drivers are respecting speed limits,” Chief Blish said. “Our goal is to keep everyone safe on the road and reducing speeding is one of the most important ways we can do exactly that. I hope all of our residents will be mindful of the dangers speeding poses — both to themselves and to their fellow drivers.”
According to NHTSA, young people and motorcyclists are especially susceptible to high speeds, and they represent the largest demographic involved in speeding-related vehicle crashes. In 2020, 27% of male drivers ages 18-44 and 16% of female drivers ages 18-44 involved in fatal crashes in 2020 were speeding.
While many may think of speeding as something that occurs mostly on highways, NHTSA data shows that local roads are more dangerous than highways for speeders: In 2020, 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on U.S. roads occurred on non-interstate roadways.
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