The Nebraska State Patrol is joining four other Midwest states this weekend in an enforcement effort to cut down on excessive speeds.
Troopers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas have all reported a big increase in stops involving vehicles traveling at more than one-hundred miles per hour during the pandemic.
The State Patrol’s Cody Thomas says it’s been a big problem here since March 19.
“We’ve passed the 400 citation mark for speeding at 100 miles per hour or more,” Thomas said. “During that same four month time period for the previous five years, we averaged 216 of those citations, so it’s nearly double what we’ve seen in recent years.”
Other states have seen similar high speed citation increases, although Nebraska’s traffic fatality numbers are actually down this year. Drivers caught going more than 100 miles per hour face a fine of $300, increased insurance rates and court costs. Earlier this week, troopers near Grand Island arrested a man driving 155 miles per hour.