CONCORD, NH – The New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety (NHOHS) announces an upcoming multi-town speed and distracted driving enforcement initiative along and around Interstate 93.
Beginning Saturday, law enforcement officers will be working to deter and detect drivers who are operating above the speed limit, holding a cell phone or sending text messages while driving in violation of state law.
The enforcement initiative will include additional patrols throughout Merrimack and Belknap counties, from the town of Boscawen extending north to the town of Plymouth. Since 2019, nine people have been killed and more than 1,000 crashes have occurred within this stretch of the interstate, according to data from the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Motor Vehicles. A majority of the crashes occurred during the daytime with clear and dry weather conditions.
“Speeding and distracted driving are both preventable causes of crashes,” said New Hampshire Department of Safety Assistant Commissioner Eddie Edwards. “Alongside our partners from state, county and local law enforcement agencies, our goal is to change negative driving behaviors and save lives.”
The upcoming initiative is in direct response to the 122 deadly crashes that occurred on New Hampshire roads in 2023 and the 11 deadly crashes that have occurred to date in 2024. While causation data for 2023 and 2024 is still pending, from 2019 to 2022, 112 people were killed in speed-related crashes statewide and 27 people were the victims of crashes in which distraction and/or inattention were cited as a causation factor by the investigating police department.
The additional patrols encompassing this effort are funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through grants issued by the NHOHS.