A speed crackdown on the Broken Arrow Expressway

Tulsa Police will be working radar on the Broken Arrow Expressway every day from now until August. <br/><br/>News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright says the motorcycle unit and the traffic squads from

Wednesday, June 16th 2004, 12:46 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa Police will be working radar on the Broken Arrow Expressway every day from now until August.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright says the motorcycle unit and the traffic squads from east and south Tulsa will take turns ticketing speeders this summer.

Tulsa Police Cpl Steve Wood: "I need to see your driver's license and proof of insurance please." Corporal Steve Wood stopped one driver for going well over the 55 mile an hour speed limit on the Broken Arrow Expressway.

He says drivers better get used to this scene during the summer months and for good reason. "It boils down to speed kills. It always has, always will, and in my 22 years on, the Broken Arrow has always been a speeding problem."

Drivers have 1,400 accidents every month in Tulsa. And, the most common type is the most preventable, rear-enders where people speed up behind someone, follow too close, and then can't stop in time. "These are your options on front and there are maps on back if you want to take care of it in person."

As much of a pain as it for you to get tickets, this type of enforcement is working. There were a thousand fewer accidents last year from the year before. Wood says often speed because they're in hurry, but the truth is it doesn't save you that much time.

If you drive 10 miles and the speed limit is 40, it'll take you 15 minutes. If you speed and drive 55, it only saves you four minutes. "And, if I pull you over, that'll take 10 minutes so you're six minutes in the hole."

Your budget will be in the hole too, the cheapest speeding ticket police issue right now is $115.

You may think you can speed because you're safe when you do it, but you also have to worry about everyone else out there. Corporal Wood stopped a driver the other day with 40 tickets on his license.

And here's a sobering thought, 800 soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the war began, which is terrible, but 800 Americans die every week in car crashes.