NSP issues more than 600 tickets for excessive speeding this year
Since the pandemic, speeding at excessive rates has increased. Last year, Nebraska State Patrol issued 938 tickets for people driving over 100 miles per hour. This year, troopers continue to see an increase and have already issued 602 tickets in the beginning months of 2023. The public relations director for NSP, Cody Thomas, said 108 tickets are for drivers hitting over 100 mph and 494 for drivers hitting over 90mph. Capt. Greg Miller with NSP said it isn’t just a problem on interstates. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen these speeds in town as well,” Miller said.The good news is Nebraska is starting the year with 47% fewer traffic deaths in January than average. The Nebraska Department of Transportation reports eight traffic deaths this January, compared to 26 last January.The Nebraska Highway Safety Administrator Bill Kovarik said he’d like to think it’s because people are being more cautious. “That’s what we’re we’re really hoping, that it is a direct correlation between responsible driving,” Kovarik said. NSP’s statistics show that’s not necessarily the case. Kovarik said DOT provides funding so NSP can enforce traffic laws and last year they got a large amount. He said this could potentially be one cause of so many citations. However, he does think distracted driving is on the rise. He says throughout the year, he hopes to see speeding and distracted driving decrease so traffic deaths can stay at least 40% below average.Miller said as the temperature increases in the spring, so do traffic deaths because more people are out. He says if we want to keep deaths low, everyone must do their part. “It’s our families that are out there playing on the playgrounds, just like everyone else’s, so we ask everyone to please don’t be distracted and obey the law of speed limits,” Miller said.
Since the pandemic, speeding at excessive rates has increased. Last year, Nebraska State Patrol issued 938 tickets for people driving over 100 miles per hour. This year, troopers continue to see an increase and have already issued 602 tickets in the beginning months of 2023.
The public relations director for NSP, Cody Thomas, said 108 tickets are for drivers hitting over 100 mph and 494 for drivers hitting over 90mph.
Capt. Greg Miller with NSP said it isn’t just a problem on interstates.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen these speeds in town as well,” Miller said.
The good news is Nebraska is starting the year with 47% fewer traffic deaths in January than average. The Nebraska Department of Transportation reports eight traffic deaths this January, compared to 26 last January.
The Nebraska Highway Safety Administrator Bill Kovarik said he’d like to think it’s because people are being more cautious.
“That’s what we’re we’re really hoping, that it is a direct correlation between responsible driving,” Kovarik said.
NSP’s statistics show that’s not necessarily the case. Kovarik said DOT provides funding so NSP can enforce traffic laws and last year they got a large amount. He said this could potentially be one cause of so many citations.
However, he does think distracted driving is on the rise.
He says throughout the year, he hopes to see speeding and distracted driving decrease so traffic deaths can stay at least 40% below average.
Miller said as the temperature increases in the spring, so do traffic deaths because more people are out. He says if we want to keep deaths low, everyone must do their part.
“It’s our families that are out there playing on the playgrounds, just like everyone else’s, so we ask everyone to please don’t be distracted and obey the law of speed limits,” Miller said.
