Springfield police are stepping up patrols to enforce speed limits on city streets.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield police are stepping up patrols to enforce speed limits on city streets.
On Tuesday, Police Superintendent Akers and the Police Traffic Bureau will be joined by Mayor Sarno to announce an effort to reduce speeding and drivers on their phones on this busy roadway. Springfield residents and community leaders are begging drivers to follow posted speed limits.
Last Tuesday, 22News spoke with community leaders about what needs to be done. Members of the community hold traffic safety standouts on Boston Road regularly. With the recent deadly hit and run that killed a woman while she was crossing this roadway, the hope is that drivers will see their message, that is they are going slow enough.
Distracted driving and cars speeding, are making Boston Road more dangerous, and it’s a concern for Springfield residents. According to the crash data report from MassDOT, there are 1,828 total crash records so far this year in Springfield. Of that number, there were eight deadly crash-related incidents, although the report does not include the September 2nd deadly hit and run.
Deadly Crashes in Springfield
May 7th
May 29th
June 3rd
June 22nd
June 28th
July 7th
July 21st
August 8th
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to commend Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers, Captain David Martin, and all of our brave and dedicated men and women in Blue for their efforts in keeping our streets safe for our residents. SPD will continue to use a combination of traffic enforcement initiatives and will enhance patrols. Please, if you are speeding or violating the rules of the road, expect our SPD to enforce the laws.”
Mayor Sarno continued, “The goal here is compliance. We want drivers to pay attention, slow down and put their phones away. We want drivers and pedestrians to get home safely. We want to alert all drivers of police presence ahead so that they slow down and SPD does not have to issue a citation or investigate another fatal crash. This continued traffic enforcement follows tragic speeding and reckless driving incidents where lives were lost. We must all do our part to be safe and aware as we drive on the streets. Our brave and dedicated police officers will continue their efforts across the city to encourage motorist to slow down and to not drive distracted. We also need support from our residents and families, and from our Courts. This is not the first time we have heightened our enforcement and it is not the first time we have pleaded with our courts to hold these reckless and distracted drivers responsible. Additionally, we need parents to step up and help educate their children and help keep them safe. I plead with our residents and families, please talk to your children, if not for our community’s safety, then for their safety and good health. Simply put, this is about public safety and saving lives, including the perpetrators.”
22News will be attending the announcement outside the Springfield Police Headquarters for the announcement at 2:15 p.m. This story will be updated as soon as additional information is released.
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