Caution: You’re Going to See More Police on Hudson Valley Roads This Week

Officially beginning on Friday July 31, and running through August 8th, what is known as "Speed Awareness Week" is officially underway in the Hudson Valley, and the entire state of NY.

You may notice increased visibility and the presence of New York State Police and local law enforcement on NY state roadways over the next week or so, as the number of police patrolling the roadways is on the rise as part of this initiative.

In a statement issued by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, speed continues to be a predominant factor in traffic crashes in New York State, with over 1/3 of all traffic fatalities in New York caused by speeding in 2020.  Statistics also indicate that the number of fatal crashes caused by unsafe speed increases during the summer months, with the highest totals coming between June and October.

The main goal of Speed Awareness Week is to get drivers to slow down, and to decrease the amount of distracted driving, especially with the use of electronic devices.

The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, in a post on their facebook page on Friday July 31st, informed residents they would be participating in the awareness week, and alerting everyone they would be more visible on roadways in an effort to reduce speed related crashes in the community.

Last year's Speed Awareness Week was held August 6 through August 12 2020, and according to INFORMNY.com, NY law enforcement issued more than 21,000 speeding tickets alone, this in addition to the more than 30,000 tickets issued for other vehicle and traffic law violations.