Look, you’re supposed to watch your speed every time you drive a vehicle. But you might want to be extra careful Wednesday, because police departments throughout Kane County will be watching your speed, as well.

During Illinois Speed Awareness Day on July 26, multiple agencies in Kane County are taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists through both education and enforcement.

More than 3,000 citations or warnings were issued on Illinois Speed Awareness Day last year.

At least 11 police departments in Kane County will take part in Illinois Speed Awareness Day this year. The agencies involved so far are Algonquin, Aurora, Batavia, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Elburn, Geneva, Huntley, Montgomery, Pingree Grove and West Dundee. More are expected to join the effort, along with Illinois State Police.

Why is there an Illinois Speed Awareness Day?

In Illinois during 2015, speed was the reason for 34.2 percent of all fatal crashes. That’s 369 deaths for the year, or one life every 23.7 hours. These lives can be easily saved by being aware of our speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash.

In residential areas, speeding can have the following consequences:

• When a pedestrian is hit by a car at 20 mph there is a 10 percent likelihood of being killed. At a speed of 30 mph, the percentage increases to a 50 percent likelihood of being killed.
• The higher the speed at impact, the more severe the injuries sustained.
• About 37 percent of the speed-related crashes result in injuries.
• When speeding there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are traveling.
• Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.
• Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or objects in the roadway.

“Let’s all do our part by taking a proactive approach to prevent fatalities and reduce injuries on the roadways by being aware of our speed and obeying the speed limit signs all the time,” said Shawn Beane, Pingree Grove chief of police and president of the Kane County Chiefs of Police Association.

For more information about Illinois Speed Awareness Day, visit www.illinoisspeedawarenessday.org.

SOURCE: Kane County Chiefs of Police Association news release