New Milford enhanced speed enforcement a success

By Susan Tuz
NEW MILFORD — The results are in from a two month enhanced speed enforcement effort by New Milford Police.
From Aug. 5 to Sept. 30, New Milford police wrote 701 speeding tickets with 55 court summons for speeds exceeding 60 mph.
“At the command level, the feeling is that this enforcement period was successful,” said Sgt. James Dzamko. “All police departments need to have enforcement periods like this to slow drivers down.”
The enhanced enforcement program was funded by a $20,190 grant through the state Department of Transportation’s 2014 Fiscal Year Connecticut Highway Safety Plan.
Having this added funding allows departments to increase hours for patrol officers to conduct speed enforcement efforts, Dzamko said. New Milford officers worked 392 hours on speed enforcement alone during the two month period.
The New Milford Police Department’s goal was to reduce avoidable, speed-related motor vehicle accidents by 15 percent. Department statistics show 70 accidents caused by “speed too fast for road conditions” in 2013. Statistics from 2014 from Jan. 1 through Aug. 4 showed 55 such accidents.
“These statistics reflect accidents where speed was the primary factor,” Dzamko said. “In other instances, speed may have been a contributing factor.”
Dzamko noted that in accidents caused by drivers following too closely to the vehicle ahead of them, the accident might not have happened if speeding were not involved.
Statistics show 216 accidents in 2013 caused by following too closely and 132 in 2014 as of Aug. 4.
stuz@newstimes.com; 203-731-3352