Police Staffing Shortages, Yet Increases in Crashes

With police agencies struggling with police staffing shortages and an increase in traffic fatalities, there’s one tool, automated enforcement,  that you may want to consider. 

Photo enforcement is a force multiplier in traffic safety, capturing violators while officers are performing high priority duties. Far fewer officer hours are invested for automated enforcement, which captures violations 24 hours a day, with better results in curbing traffic violations, especially speeding, making better use of limited resources.

Traffic Fatalities on the Rise 

According to US DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, “Almost 95 percent of our Nation’s transportation deaths occur on America’ s streets, roads, and highways, and they are on the rise. An estimated 38,680 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. In the first half of 2021, an estimated 20,160 people died, up 18.4 percent compared to the first six months of 2020. And every year, millions more are seriously and often permanently injured.”

Speeding a Major Factor in Crashes

In 2020, the most recent year for which statistics were available across the U.S., speed was a factor in 29% of vehicle crashes, the National Safety Council reports. Those speed-involved crashes took the lives of 10,136 people nationwide. And that was in a year when COVID had significantly reduced traffic. Last year, nearly 43,000 people lost their lives in vehicle crashes — a more than 10% jump from 2020.

Speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2020, killing 11,258, or an average of over 30 people per day. The total number of fatal motor-vehicle crashes attributable to speeding was 10,136. A crash is considered speeding-related if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense or if racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit was indicated as a contributing factor in the crash.

No End to Speeding in Sight

With agencies short on staff and an increase in speeding, there seems to be no end in sight to the new aggressive driving habits communities are experiencing.  According to the National Safety Council, 2020 marked a reversal regarding the recent progress that has been made in reducing speeding-related deaths. Speeding-related deaths increased 17% from 2019 and were the most deaths recorded since 2008. Speeding deaths now represent 29% of all traffic fatalities, up from 26% in 2019.

Automated Enforcement Review 

With single-click review, far fewer officer hours are invested for automated enforcement, which captures violations 24 hours a day, providing better results in curbing traffic violations by changing driving habits, especially speeding. 

Find out More

Interested in finding out more about how using automated enforcement in your community can help staffing issues and save lives? Contact Us: 888-666-4218, Ext. 6 for East Coast and Ext. 7 for West Coast.  We can also be reached at [email protected].