OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Overland Park Police clocked somebody driving 111 mph through the U.S. 69 highway construction zone.
It’s not the first time they’ve caught someone driving over 100 mph.
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“111 mph was unbelievable, and it’s unacceptable here in Overland Park. That’s going way too fast. We want our community to slow down. That’s the main goal of us being out on the street. We want them to slow down,” said Overland Park Police Public Information Officer John Lacy.
Not only is it the law, but reaching speeds that high puts you, other drivers and construction workers in danger.
“A car that’s driving 111 mph, just think about the braking. You can’t brake as quickly as if you’re driving 55 mph, which is the speed that you’re supposed to be driving at on 69 Highway, compared to driving 111 mph. So if somebody cuts in front of you or anything like that, it’s going to be very, very difficult to stop,” Lacy explained.
Chloe Parrish is familiar with the 69 Highway project. She is as excited as the next person to see the orange cones go and understands that construction zones can be inconvenient. Still, she wants to see drivers take the posted speed limit seriously.
“Let’s not do that. That’s not safe whatsoever,” Parrish said. “There’s a lot of slowdowns and whatnot with all the lanes going from three to two to one. So speeding is not a good idea. Don’t do that.”
Just a few weeks earlier, another driver was caught going 105 miles per hour. Well over the posted 65 mph speed limit.
On Sunday, Overland Park police clocked a driver at 111 mph near 69 Highway and I-435. The driver got a citation.
“Right now, that’s considered a fine within the city limits of Overland Park,” Lacy said. “People look at highways and they think I can go as fast as I want to, and that’s not the case here,” Lacy explained. “We’re going to have officers out on the street, in the school zone, on the highway, and we’re going to be looking for these types of drivers who are driving aggressively, distracted driving, people on their cell phone, things of that sort.”
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Officer Lacy has this message for drivers:
“We want people to slow down; plain and simple. In school zones, on the highway, in construction zones. We’re going to be out there. We’re not going anywhere. So this is a warning. If you’re looking for a warning to slow down or anything like that, so you don’t get a citation. This is a warning,” Lacy explained.
Police say the project could be wrapping up soon. In the meantime, they urge drivers to stay under the speed limit and to limit distractions.
