SALINAS VALLEY — This July and beyond, police departments in South Monterey County are urging drivers to follow posted speed limits and “slow the fast down.”
During this month, King City, Greenfield, Soledad and Gonzales police departments will have additional officers on patrol watching for drivers who are speeding or driving too fast for conditions.
Speeding remains a leading factor in deadly crashes and is consistently the top safety concern among surveyed California drivers, according to the 2025 California Traffic Safety Survey.
Even small increases in speed reduce the time drivers have to react and significantly increase the force of a crash, officials said. Slowing down, they added, is a simple and effective way to prevent tragedies on roads.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 11,288 people died from speeding-related crashes in the United States in 2024, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities that year. In California alone, 1,139 people were killed in speeding-related crashes in 2024.
“Speeding is dangerous and puts everyone at risk,” officials said. “Your daily choice to drive within the speed limit protects everyone in our community. Risky driving behaviors like speeding continue to cause preventable tragedies on California roads.”
Drivers can take simple steps to prevent speeding, including planning ahead and allowing extra travel time, following posted speed limits — especially in school and work zones — driving at a safe speed for conditions, and avoiding aggressive behaviors such as tailgating or weaving through traffic.
Crashes have severe and lasting consequences, officials said, and slowing down remains one of the most important actions drivers can take to keep roads safe.
