Through the month of March, the Eugene Police Department will increase traffic patrols on freeways and some of the more heavily traveled roads in the city. The extra police presence is intended to enforce speed limits and reduce reckless driving.
EPD’s Traffic Safety Unit wants drivers to know they’ll be out in force this month. Funds from an Oregon Impact Grant will allow for overtime and intensive, high-visibility enforcement.
Traffic Safety Seargent Scott Dillon has some words to the wise when getting behind the wheel. “Be patient. Drive your own drive. Allow plenty of time to get there. Allow for weather conditions. Allow for other people that are trying to get where they’re going as well,” he said. “If somebody is doing silly things when they’re driving- let them have the conversation with us instead of getting into a bit of a road rage situation.”
Dillon said, they’re boosting patrols in March because with nicer, driving weather-- speeds and recklessness tend to increase.
According to Impact Oregon, speeding fatalities rose 17% from 2019 to 2020, and another estimated 5% from 2020 to 2021.
Dillon said, Eugene Police Traffic Safety Unit patrols will be enforcing speed on highways where they’ve noted significant speeding infractions, as well as some of the more heavily traveled surface streets such as 1st, 6th, 7th, 11th, and 18th.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2020 there were 11,258 people killed in speeding-related crashes, and speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all fatal crashes nationally.
The EPD said their March traffic safety operation supports the City of Eugene Vision Zero approach to transportation safety which aims to eliminate deaths and life-changing injuries caused by traffic crashes.
