The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Reno Police Department and Sparks Police Department, will be launching a Speed Enforcement Campaign starting February 27, 2011 and will continue for the following three weeks. The focus will be on enforcing speed limits within the two cities and Washoe County.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed factors in 32 percent of all fatal traffic crashes and annually over 13,000 lives are lost due to speed related crashes. “Too many lives are lost each year in speed-related crashes, and we are determined to change that,” said Sheriff Haley. “We are reminding drivers to stay alert, to watch for and obey all posted speed limits.”

Speeding greatly reduces the driver’s ability to slow a vehicle when necessary or to steer safely around an unexpected curve, another vehicle or hazardous object in the roadway. In school zones or neighborhoods, that can include a child or an animal running across the road.
Sheriff’s Office PIO, Deputy Armando Avina also cautions drivers to be more diligent during adverse weather conditions, “Driving above the posted speed limit or speeding in bad weather conditions dramatically increases the probability that a motorist will be involved in a crash.” Drivers are reminded that traveling too fast for conditions, such as on snow covered or icy roads, is illegal and can be issued a citation even if they are not exceeding the posted speed limit.

The enforcement campaign is being funded by a grant that was awarded to each agency by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety. Deputies and officers will concentrate their efforts in areas prone to accidents and spots that have generated citizen’s complaints about speeders.