Jackson County speed enforcement results in "big numbers"

Medford, Ore. – Police are warning about the number one contributor to fatal crashes: excessive speed.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said over the past few months, deputies have been working overtime to enforce speed limits on Jackson County roads. The federally-funded traffic enforcement period recently wrapped up, and JSCO is sharing what they call some “big numbers.”

From May through September, 470 speeding citations were issued. Deputies said the average speed was about 20 mph over the speed limit in every speed zone, including school zones. A driver was even clocked at 117 mph on Interstate 5.

Sheriff Nathan Sickler is concerned about the number of speeders. “Too many people are hurt and killed because of speeding – it affects all of us in the community.” Sheriff Sickler said. “We really need drivers to help out by slowing down.”

This latest speed enforcement period was made possible by federal transportation safety funds transferred to the Oregon Department of Transportation for distribution within the state. The money allowed JSCO to focus on traffic problems without taking regular duty patrol deputies away from their typical jobs.