State police will be promoting safe driving practices today (Wednesday). It’s part of Illinois Speed Awareness Day.

Illinois State Police District 21 at Ashkum, along with District 5 and 10 are taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists through both education and enforcement.
In Illinois during 2017, speed was the reason for 42% of all traffic fatalities.That’s 462 deaths for the year, or more than one life per day.

State police hope to educate Illinoisans on being aware of their speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash in order to stop senseless traffic fatalities.

When a vehicle crashes, police officials say, it undergoes a rapid change in speed; however, the occupants keep moving at the vehicle’s previous speed until they are stopped – either by hitting an object or by being restrained by a safety belt or airbag.

But the effectiveness of restraint devices like safety belts decline as impact speed increases, that’s why 37.9% of speed-related crashes result in injuries. State police are working in conjunction with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and Families Against Chronic Excessive Speed 4 for this traffic initiative.

94.1 WGFA