Law enforcement across Iowa is continuing to see motorists speeding in the triple digits.

Iowa State Patrol District 4 Resource Officer Trooper Shelby McCreedy says speed is directly related to the force of a crash. She points out that force is what causes damage to the vehicles and injuries, sometimes fatal, to people that are involved in a crash. McCreedy explains that force is the body weight of an individual multiplied by the traveling speed of the vehicle.

“So if you increase that speed, you’re increasing the force. When you increase the force, you’re increasing the likelihood that you’re going to die.” 

McCreedy notes that the force becomes even more dangerous when a vehicle gets into the triple digits.

“When you’re talking about these triple digit speeds people are not only risking their life but they’re risking the lives of the other people on the road too. Because if you’re driving 120 (miles per hour) and you hit somebody that force translates to that other vehicle as well.”     

McCreedy advises motorists to control the controllables. She says people can control if they wear a seat belt, not looking at electronic devices, as well as keeping their vehicles to the speed limit because speed limits are designed to save lives when crashes happen.