Speeders Beware

A recent rash of speeding cars on the freeway and city streets around town is prompting the California Highway Patrol to issue a warning: Drive at a safe, legal speed or you will get a ticket.

Last week, four CHP officers generated 30 speeding citations in the unincorporated area of Alameda County (including Castro Valley, Ashland, and Cherryland) in only a few hours, according to CHP Officer Dan Jacowitz.

 “For the last several months and in all of 2020, we have been doing speed details and doing focused enforcement,” Officer Jacowitz said. “Our primary focus is speed reduction for county roads where we see the largest number of people driving at unsafe speeds.”

Officer Jacowitz called out Redwood Road, Lake Chabot Road, and especially Crow Canyon Road as the hot spots for hot rods. A recent measurement of traffic along Crow Canyon, for example, found some vehicles traveling 82-mph in a 40-mph zone. To help alert drivers to their speeds and serve as a visual deterrent, the CHP often installs trailers that posts the speed limit and then flashes the vehicle’s speed as it’s approaching. While these are intended to deter speeding, Officer Jacowitz notes that there are often officers waiting nearby to enforce those safe speeds.

 “It’s an ongoing enforcement effort for sure,” Officer Jacowitz said. “We’ve been providing education to the public through community outreach and showcasing on our Facebook page anyone who has been caught driving more than 100-mph. Hopefully, these unsafe drivers can see that it doesn’t pay to speed."

 In February, a silver Mercedes Benz was clocked at 141-mph traveling Eastbound on Interstate 580 between the Grove Way onramp to the San Ramon/Foothill Road exit. 

Speeding vehicles in the East Bay is not novel. Between September 1 and October 31, 2020, CHP officers issued 4,851 citations for speeding more than 100 miles per hour, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. That is a 93 percent increase when compared to the same period last year.

 And it’s not just a safety issue, speeding tickets in California average $300, according to a consumer site, RatedRadarDetector. The cost includes the processing fee, the fine, and the court fees. If you are caught driving more than 26 mph above the posted speed limit, that ticked shoots up to at least $500.

 Speeding on city streets is harder to catch, admits Officer Jacowitz, but if there are speeders in your neighborhood on a consistent basis, the CHP is eager to respond. If there is a license plate number, the CHP can send an advisory notice to the owner of that vehicle that dangerous speeds were observed. The driver could be put on notice with the DMV if the violations persist.

 “We want people to be safe themselves if they are reporting these speeders,” Officer Jacowitz said. “We would prefer that they take down information like the street where they see speeding, and license plate numbers if possible, and report them to the CHP field office. This goes for reporting any side-show activity or cars doing donuts in the middle of the road.”

 To report speeding in your neighborhood, call (510) 581-9028 to talk to a CHP officer and register a complaint. You can remain anonymous.