State Police nab almost 500 for speed, distracted driving during weeklong sweep`

CONCORD - Nearly 500 vehicles were pulled over during a multi-town speed and distracted driving enforcement initiative along and around Interstate 93. The effort, which was conducted from Feb. 24 to Friday, included additional patrols throughout Merrimack and Belknap counties, from the town of Boscawen extending north to Plymouth.

The goal of the initiative was to change dangerous driving behaviors by deterring and detecting drivers who operated above the speed limit, held a cellphone or sent text messages while driving in violation of state law, according to a statement sent Wednesday from the Dept. of Safety.

Members of state, county and local law enforcement issued 299 warnings and 200 summonses and checked 165 child restraints. Summonses were written for speed, failure to move over for emergency vehicles, distracted driving, mobile electronic device use and other violations. Two arrests were made during the effort - one for a warrant, the other for transportation of alcohol by a minor.

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. Most of the crashes occurred during the daytime with clear and dry weather conditions. 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 final results of the I-93 initiative may increase as additional participants in the enforcement campaign provide data. The effort was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through grants issued by the NHOHS.