Arkansas State Police plan July crackdown on speeding

The Arkansas State Police announced on Monday that it is planning a high-visibility “Speeding Slows You Down” campaign. The campaign will coordinate with local agencies and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from July 9 to 31.

In addition to the high-visibility patrols, officials said both ASP and local agencies will issue citations to speeding drivers.

ASP officials reported that 11,775 traffic fatalities occurred nationwide in 2023, with 29% involving speeding drivers. Speeding fatalities are not just an issue nationally, but in Arkansas for 2023, one of five traffic fatalities was speeding-related.

Speed limits are set to keep all road users safe,” Arkansas Public Safety Secretary Col. Mike Hagar said. “They minimize the likelihood of crashes and the force of a crash’s impact on a person’s body, which dramatically increases with each additional 10 miles per hour of speed.”

Using NHTSA figures, ASP officials showed that speeding is not just an Interstate issue. In 2023, they said, 88% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities in the United States occurred on routes other than interstates.

This enforcement campaign is part of the Arkansas Toward Zero Deaths program.