ROCKINGHAM — Police are warning residents to leave the fast speeds to the NASCAR drivers this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.
The Rockingham Police Department announced on Facebook Monday that it would be stepping up speeding enforcement throughout the city limits April 14-20.
The weeklong effort is part of the “Speed a Little. Lose a Lot” campaign from the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
According to a press release from the GHSP, the campaign is one of the program’s initiatives to reduce reckless driving across the state, emphasizing that “even a small increase in speed significantly increases the risk of severe or fatal crashes.”
“We refuse to accept the needless tragedies caused by speeding,” GHSP Director Mark Ezzell, said in the press release. “This campaign sends a powerful message: drivers who choose to speed will face the consequences. We are determined to make our roads safer for every North Carolinian.”
Speed was reportedly found to be the fourth-leading factor in fatal crashes for 2024. A preliminary report from the N.C. Department of Transportation, according to the release, indicates that 373 people died in speed-related crashes last year.
“Speed limits are set to keep all roadway users safe,” Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., commander of the N.C. State Highway Patrol said in a statement. “Maintaining the speed limit not only reduces the severity of a crash, but it will ultimately minimize the likelihood of being involved in a crash in the first place.”
Citing the state’s driver education handbook, NCDOT says that a vehicle traveling at 55 mph takes at least 200 feet to stop.
“When the operator of a vehicle drives above the speed limit, they are putting their lives, their passengers’ lives and the lives of those they are sharing the roadway within harm’s way,” Johnson continued. “Drivers have a choice to obey the speed limit, but it’s a choice that can have very big consequences if they don’t follow the law.”
Speeding fines range from $30-$250 — depending on how fast the driver is traveling in excess of the speed limit and whether or not the area is a construction zone — plus court costs.
The post from RPD received several comments from residents offering suggestions, including near West Rockingham Elementary School on U.S. 74 Business. However, many of the suggested problem areas are outside the city limits.
Others commented that the department should concentrate more on crime than traffic enforcement.
Retired RPD chief Billy Kelly served several years as the GHSP's district liasion.
The department has received two $30,000 grants from the GHSP in the previous two years.
“Our mission is to make our community a safer and better place to live and visit,” reads the RPD post. “We appreciate the support of the NCGHSP and all law enforcement agencies assisting us.”
