Beware of speeding blitz: 'Obey sign or pay fine' Email story to a friend Printer-friendly Format Add your comments Send Letter to Editor Digg! Digg this story LINCOLNVILLE (May 15): The Lincolnville Police Department launched a speed enforcement blitz Sunday, May 11, for the Lincolnville community under the tagline: “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine.” Advertisement “Speeding translates to death on our roadways," said Chief Ronald Young. "It greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve. Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other drivers at tremendous risk." In 2005, speeding was a contributing factor in more than one-third of all fatal crashes in the U.S.; more than 13,000 lives were lost in such crashes, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During the “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine” blitz which runs through September 2009, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits in Lincolnville. "We’ll stop and ticket anyone caught speeding — especially on Camden Road, Belfast Road, Atlantic Highway, Main Street and Moody Mountain Road, where most of our speed-related crashes occur, and also target secondary roads such as Youngtown Road and Slab City Road as well as the Lincolnville Central School Zone," said Chief Young. Fully 86 percent of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occur on local roads -- where the posted speed limits were 55 miles per hour or under. According to NHTSA, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below. About 14 percent of the country’s speeding-related fatalities occur on interstate highways each year. A NHTSA research report, “Analysis of Speeding-Related Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes,” showed a major proportion of fatal, speeding-related single-vehicle crashes occur on rural roadways. Across America in 2005, speeding was a factor in 28 percent of all fatal crashes on dry roads, and in 33 percent of those occurring on wet roads. NHTSA considers a crash speeding-related if the driver was charged with exceeding the posted speed limit or if the driver was driving too fast for conditions at the time. “Driving above the posted speed limit or speeding in bad weather conditions dramatically increases the probability that a motorist will be involved in a crash,” said Chief Young. “During this enforcement blitz, officers will be out targeting and ticketing speeding drivers,” said Young. “Our goal is to save lives and we’re putting all drivers on alert — the posted speed limit is the law. No more warnings and no more excuses. When it comes to speeding: Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine.”