Targeted patrols prowl Route 125 to enforce speeding, distracted, impaired drivers

Route 125 stretches from Wakefield all the way to the Massachusetts border, but the extra patrols will just cover from Epping to Milton. (courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Beginning this month and continuing throughout the summer, local, county and state law enforcement agencies will take part in directed enforcement patrols along Route 125 from Epping to Milton including Rochester, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety.
The patrols will target impaired, distracted and speeding drivers using a grants from the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety that allow for additional enforcement efforts in areas of the state that are most heavily trafficked and where crashes frequently occur.
Police departments from the communities of Lee, Barrington, Milton and Epping, are working collaboratively with the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office and New Hampshire State Police - Troop A to conduct these patrols, with the goal of reducing the number of fatalities, injuries and other incidents.
Within a 9-year period, 4,893 crashes have occurred on the approximately 50-mile stretch of Route 125, which extends from Haverhill to Milton in the eastern part of the state.
"Although the function of these patrols is enforcement, the goal is to reduce the number of accidents and for motorists to arrive at their destinations safely," said Chief Michael Wallace of the Epping Police Department.
"We ask you to drive like everyone's lives depend on it. Watch your speed, use your seatbelt, refrain from distractions, and extend courtesy to others sharing the road," said Rockingham County High Sheriff Charles Massahos.
Lieutenant Keith Walker, Commander of New Hampshire State Police - Troop A, also emphasized the responsibility of drivers to make the right choices while behind the wheel.
"Plan on using alternative transportation if you will be consuming alcohol," he said. "And always wear your seat belt to prevent injury or death in the event of a collision."