Independence Holiday Safety Enforcement Numbers Released by AZ DPS
Arizona — The Department of Public Safety (DPS) launched a week long safety enforcement campaign leading up to the Independence Holiday weekend. The campaign began with social media communication and various news releases intended to inform the public about traffic safety. DPS reminded motorists to avoid driving distracted, wear their seatbelts, use child seats, and other safety messages.
During the Fourth of July weekend of Friday, 7/1/2016 – Tuesday, 7/5/2016, troopers investigated 267 collisions; 105 of those were attributed to speed. Of the 267 collisions, three were fatal collisions. Two of the fatal collisions involved pedestrians and one was related to tire failure. In 2015, troopers investigated 194 collisions with four resulting in fatalities. Fatal crashes for 2015, also involved a pedestrian walking along the roadway and tire failure.
The highest number of collisions occurred on Friday between 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., followed by Monday, July 4, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., on Tuesday July 5. Troopers investigated 71 collisions along I10, 29 on I17 and 28 on SR101.
Troopers also made 7,663 total stops during the Fourth of July weekend around the state to include, 2,226 for speeding and 344 safety device citations. The interstates with highest citations written were the I10 with 1,750 citations, followed by the I40 with 778 and the I17 with 641 citations.
Tempe Town Lake Enforcement Activity / Red Mountain Loop 202:
Troopers issued 14 citations on the L202 between mileposts 4 and 10, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Most citations issued were related to speeding, however, other drivers were cited for stopping/standing/parking on a highway. Four vehicles were towed away during the same time period.
During the week of Monday, 6/27/2016 – Monday, 7/4/2016, troopers made a total of 12,859 traffic stops, investigated 669 collisions – seven of which were fatal crashes and 14 resulting in serious injuries. DPS also had 34 calls for service due to reports of wrong way vehicles. The seven fatal crashes occurred along I40 (2), I10, US60, SR51, SR87 and US93.
In 2015, during the week of Monday, 6/29/2015 – Monday, 7/6/2015, troopers made 12,342 traffic stops, investigated 648 collisions – six of which resulted in fatal crashes and 11 resulting in serious injuries. DPS also had 49 calls for service due to reports of wrong way vehicles. The six fatal crashes occurred along I10, SR82, SR177, SR95, SR87 and US60.
