Speed enforcement results

HOWARD COUNTY - Four vehicles were nailed for going over 100 miles per hour on Highway 63 during a speed enforcement excercise on Friday, Aug. 26. It was held for approximately three-and-a-half hours, with stops being made at Davis Corners.

An Iowa State Patrol airplane was able to check speeds and radioed the information down to The Howard County Sheriff’s Office (at least two vehicles), Cresco Police Department (three), Iowa State Patrol (four plus one in the air) and Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officers -DOT (two) officers on the ground.

Just as the project was coming to an end, around 4 p.m., four vehicles were tagged going 110, 102, 102 and 102 in a 55 mph zone. Sheriff Tim Beckman reported, “They were a Porsche, BMW, Audi and another high-end vehicle. The drivers were traveling together northbound to a rally of some sorts in Minnesota. They were from Durant, Cedar Rapids, Fairfax and another.

“They were charged with speeding and reckless driving for passing at an intersection. That shows this project was a success. It slowed down those reckless driving just enough to perhaps cause an accident from happening.”

Numbers from the stops made by the Sheriff’s Office included seven speed citations and six warnings; one citation for following too close and one warning; and two citations for speeding and reckless driving.

Numbers from Cresco PD were one reckless driving and five speeding citations.

Iowa State Patrol citations included eight for speeding, two for registration, one for stop sign, one for passing, one for reckless and one for Driving Under Suspicion. They also gave warnings, including five for speeding, one for driver’s license, three for equipment and one for other.

The two DOT officers stopped 9-10 vehicles. Three were going at least 70 mph, and one was taken out of service for shipping papers.

It was not planned, but the Minnesota State Patrol also conducted a speed enforcement excercise at the same time as Iowa, just north of Chester.

So some speeders may not have just a bad day, they may have had a bad, bad day, if they got stopped twice!

Minnesota’s included two were cited for no seatbelt, 24 for speed and one for insurance citation.

Beckman noted, “We aren’t bragging about or celebrating these numbers. I wish they were lower, but it just goes to show how many drivers out there have no regard for the law. Anyone who has traveled on Highway 63 knows what a racetrack it has become. I get passed in my personal vehicle on 63 all the time, and it’s usually out-of-state plates. I can be driving along with no one around, and all of a sudden I look in my rearview mirror and a vehicle appeared behind me from out of nowhere.”

The county doesn’t make any money on tickets, it all goes to the state. The deputies wages were paid through the governor’s special traffic enforcement program grant. The only cost to the county was the fuel to run the squad cars. Besides slowing down speeders, traffic stops are how law enforcement can bust a lot of drug users and dealers. So I think it was a successful project. 

Beckman explained the project, “This may not change people’s driving habits but at least for a moment we got them to slow down. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t get a call of an erratic or possible drunk driver traveling on Highway 63. Lots of times we are in Cresco, Elma or Riceville and aren’t able to catch up to the driving complaint.

“This might have slowed someone down just enough to prevent them from hitting grandma and grandpa going to an appointment in Rochester, or a student getting off the school bus.”