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OSP saturates highway safety corridor Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Oregon State Police senior trooper Don Jeter, left, aims his radar gun as motorists zoom down Highway 62 in White City. Grant helps pay for effort to slow speeders By JILL BRISKEY Oregon State Police and other law enforcement agencies are sending a message to motorists traveling along Highway 62 - slow down and drive safely, or pay the price. Thanks to a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police are spreading that message by conducting a series of saturation patrols between Medford and Eagle Point. According to senior trooper Don Jeter, the grant was awarded in February. It pays for overtime within the department, allowing the work to take place without interrupting normal patrols, he added. During the bi-monthly saturations - which last about four hours - troopers enforce speed limits, lane-change and seat-belt rules, and they watch for tailgating. "The main purpose is to reduce crashes," Jeter said. "Highway 62 has historically been a problem highway." A preliminary ODOT report showed that there were 150 crashes, 79 vehicle-related injuries and one death on Highway 62 between Medford and Eagle Point in 2000. In 1999, ODOT crash data files indicate that 131 collisions, 79 injures and one fatality were reported on the same stretch of roadway. According to Region 3 transportation coordinator Geri Paley, those statistics reflect crashes that caused injury and or $1,000 worth of damage to a vehicle. Local residents have long been concerned about the safety of Highway 62 and its intersections. Over the years, many who make the daily drive between Eagle Point and Medford have sported bumper stickers reading, "Pray for me, I drive Hwy 62!" A string of traffic fatalities in the late 1980s led ODOT to declare a safety corridor through the area with reduced posted speeds and signs urging motorists to turn on their headlights, even in daytime. Jeter said increased patrols and the lower speed limit in the safety corridor, along with large signs, have helped to curb the fatality rate. "People have become a little more aware," Jeter said. "We used to have some nasty crashes out here, but it's gone down a bit in recent years." Sitting in an unmarked car Friday near the Veterans Affairs Domiciliary, Jeter used a radar gun to record the speed of passing motorists. If a vehicle whizzed by, Jeter radioed to one of several troopers parked along the roadway ahead so they could cite the speeding driver. "We're looking for the people who are really pushing it," Jeter said. "The ones that abuse the rules. We're not picking on people out here." During Friday's effort, state police issued 30 speeding citations and one for deficient equipment. Speeding tickets ranged from $109 to $275. Senior trooper William Bedell said the threat of a ticket often isn't enough to stop certain aggressive motorists. "They are out here all the time, speeding," said Bedell, who took part in Friday's patrol. The highest speed reported was 77 mph in the 45 mph zone. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department was awarded a similar grant from ODOT, allowing Traffic Safety Coordinator Greg Halley to conduct his own patrols on Highway 62. "That's where I do most of my speed enforcement," Halley said of the safety corridor. "That's what the overtime is for: stopping drunk drivers, seat-belt violations, speed enforcement." The saturation patrols will continue until September when the grant expires, Jeter said. OSP publicizes impending saturation patrols, but gives few details on specific times or locations. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.