December 8, 2015
Awareness and enforcement of traffic safety planned
Police committed to maintaining City’s safety rating
MURPHY (December 8, 2015) Citing its unwavering commitment to the public’s security and well-being, the Murphy Police Department is reemphasizing the critical importance of road safety, both on the major thoroughfares and on residential streets, says Police Chief Arthur “Trey” Cotten.
“Murphy, like most communities, is made up of highly-traveled arterial roadways and less-congested side streets,” he said. “Both of these require our attention, and we will be elevating our monitoring throughout the holiday season. Suffice it to say, we want to ensure people driving on our streets are safe and secure.”
Excessive speed accounts for about 30 percent of vehicle fatalities in the US each year. The fatalities in May of 2014 on FM544 and Brand Rd. were attributed, in part, to speeding. And, while fatal accidents are relatively rare in Murphy, the opening of the expanded North Murphy Road can tempt drivers to increase their speed.
“The speed limit on North Murphy Road is 45 miles an hour,” said the Chief. “And, when schools are in session, there are sections of the roadway that the speed limit drops even further. Our patrol officers want drivers to understand that their job is to maintain the safety of everyone, including the speeders.”
During the holiday season, additional scrutiny will be added to North Murphy Road, Betsy Lane, east of North Murphy Road, where construction equipment and personnel add to the critical need for safety, and FM 544.
“In addition, we will be closely watching our residential side streets,” he said. “People are visiting and may be unfamiliar with our traffic flow or they may be enjoying the light displays in our homes. We want to ensure that safety is paramount in these cases as well.”
Maintaining Murphy as one of the safest cities in Texas is the department’s goal, and ensuring that drivers, both residents and visitors, follow local laws and ordinances is one of the best ways to accomplish that.
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