Finding Tolland's Speeding Hotspots

Tolland is certainly not known for being a hub for major crimes, but according to resident trooper Sergeant Scott Smith, the town is not without its law enforcement problems.

Smith said that speeding, in particular, is a concern for many residents, not only on I-84, but on major town roads like Route 195, Old Stafford Road and Old Post Road, to name a few.

"One of the primary complaints that I get on a regular basis is speed," he said.

Smith provided local speeding statistics from 2010 onwards:

2010:

Total Citations All Charges: 2,220

Infractions for Speeding: 758

Reckless Driving: 29

Total Warnings All Charges: 1,204

Written Warnings for Speeding: 316

Verbal Warnings for Speeding: 155

2011:

Total Citations All Charges: 2,051

Infractions for Speeding: 813

Reckless Driving: 22

Total Warnings All Charges: 1,196

Written Warnings for Speeding: 242

Verbal Warnings for Speeding: 180

2012 (As of March 15):

Total Citations All Charges: 522

Infractions for Speeding: 210

Reckless Driving: 18

Total Warnings All Charges: 256

Written Warnings for Speeding: 59

Verbal Warnings for Speeding: 47

Smith said that he and Tolland's four other resident troopers try to spend a portion of their daily shifts on speed enforcement. However, he said the town has not received any speed enforcement grants since 2010, which Smith said allows him to pay an officer overtime dedicated specifically to motor vehicle enforcement.

He currently has a list of around 200 resident-reported hotspots around town. Smith said that if a trooper cannot make time for enforcement there, he tries to use the town's speed enforcement trailer to collect data and to discourage high speeds.

In the future, Smith said he hopes to develop an educational program or website to teach residents about the dangers of traveling through town at high speeds. The department's intern is also compiling accident cause, location, date and time data so Smith can more accurately address Tolland's motor vehicle issues.

Do you know of a speeding hotspot in town? Add it to Tolland Patch's interactive map.

Simply click on the "add" button in the upper right hand corner of the map. Give your entry a title and write a description of why it's a big speeding location. Then select "click on map" to set the marker. Find the proper location on the map, double click and a star should show up to mark the map. Go back to the pop up and click submit. Your marker should appear on the map! Hit the red "x" that appears on the bottom of a marker's description to delete the marker, at any time.