Citizen on Patrol Volunteer Chelsey Thorne  clocks traffic moving north on Highway 97 – photo 250 News

Prince George, B.C.- Project Swoop  is underway in Prince George.

Volunteers  with Citizens on Patrol  are manning  speed boards in the City today.  The speedboards  give  drivers another visual reminder of their  current speed.   Those  significantly over the limit may  receive a letter advising of their  infraction and possible consequences.   Those who ignore the  speed limit  and the visual  warning, could see themselves pulled over a little further up the road  where RCMP are doing their own “speedwatch”.

With  a speedboard set up  on highway 97  to show northbound drivers  how fast they are going,  you have to ask if  drivers are  getting the message “We hope they are getting the message because there have been quite a few  exceeding the speed limit” says ICBC’s Diane Pozer.  ” So if they are not slowing down here when they see their actual speeds,  there are police further down the road who will be dealing with  them”.  And Police have been dealing with them.   Several tickets issued, and one vehicle towed.

“The whole exercise is to get  the message out” says Pozer “especially now that the long weekend is just around the corner so we’re just reminding people to watch their speed, be careful. Some of the behaviours  of  high risk driving,  are  speeding,  improper passing,  failing to yield, ignoring traffic signals,  all those things are high risk driving behaviours and that’s why we want to get the word out, especially with the long weekend coming up.”

On average,  every year in North Central B.C. 21 people are killed in speed related crashes.