COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Commerce City police are upping the penalties for violations in four new "high traffic hazard zones," beginning Monday, Sgt. Nicholas Arias with the Commerce City Police Department told Denver7.
If a driver commits a traffic violation in one of four areas of Commerce City, the fine doubles.
Those high traffic hazard zones include:
- Highway 2 between 72nd and 79th
- Tower Road between 81st and 87th
- Highway 2 between 88th and 95th
- Tower Road between 96th and 103rd
The Commerce City Police Department decided to based on statistics.
"In those areas over the past couple of years, we saw a high number of tickets being issued in that area as well as crashes and just reckless, careless driving all around," Arias said.
He wants drivers to know — officers aren't enforcing this policy because people are going 5-10 mph over the speed limit. They're seeing people drive 65 mph, and even 121 mph, in a 45 mph zone on Highway 2.
One officer stopped a driver on Tower Road going more than 70 mph, according to Commerce City police. He gave the driver a ticket, and "less than 30 minutes later, he stopped the same driver traveling the opposite direction going even faster," Commerce City PD said.
The goal is not to make drivers' lives miserable, the agency clarified in a Facebook post. Officers are trying to save lives. Commerce City police officers have had to respond to numerous deadly car crashes in these areas.
"Commerce City isn't somewhere that you can just drive however you want," Arias said.
