WHP: Slow down and buckle up 

Speeding has played a factor in approximately half the traffic fatalities in Wyoming this year. 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nationally, fatalities caused by speeding have been steadily increasing over the last few years, rising a dramatic 17% from 2019 to 2020 and another estimated 5% from 2020 to 2021. 

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Erik Jorgensen alerted the public to sobering numbers that continue to increase.

Lt. E. Jorgensen

Buckling a seatbelt takes an average of three to four seconds. This may seem like a trivial amount of time for such a life saving measure. But the Lieutenant said it’s an act that far too many people are not completing before setting off for their destination and it’s costing lives. 

Lt. E. Jorgensen

In 2022, 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on American roads occurred on non-interstate roadways.