With summer weather finally here, more and more motorists may be tempted to press more heavily on the accelerator and drive faster than posted speed limits. Speeding is a dangerous habit in all weather conditions, causing collisions that may result in serious injury or death.

"Posted speed limits are for ideal driving conditions and in this province we are often driving in foggy and wet conditions," said the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Government Services. "I want drivers to also consider that even in the best of conditions speeding is making our highways unsafe, both for the driver who is speeding and for other motorists on the road. That extra 10 or 15 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit may save you a few minutes, but may cost you your life. YOU Are in Control."

Statistics for convictions under the Highway Traffic Act show that from April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, total 13,632 convictions for speeding, ranging between one and more than 32 km/h over the posted speed limit.

"The safety of drivers must be our priority and we know that speeding puts lives at risk. If we choose to slow down then our roads will be safer. In addition, by slowing down, drivers will be conserving gasoline because speeding has been shown to burn more gasoline than driving to the posted speed limit," said Minister Whalen.

The Provincial Government promotes highway safety year-round through the YOU Are in Control highway safety campaign which was launched last December. This campaign was developed by the Traffic Safety Committee established through the Motor Registration Division of the Department of Government Services. Members of the committee also include the RCMP, the RNC, the departments of Transportation and Works, and Health and Community Services, the City of St. John�s and the Newfoundland and Labrador Safety Council. The intent of the campaign is to grab people�s attention and show them that everyone has a responsibility in making sure highways are safe.

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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Government Services
709-729-4860, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca

2007 06 22                                                   2:05 p.m.