Last Friday’s expanded police patrols along Route 125 from Plaistow to Milton, N.H., resulted in 294 vehicle stops, 64 citations, 240 warnings and 10 arrests.
The directed patrols were aimed at impaired and distracted drivers and those speeding. The stretch of highway was selected by local and state police because it is heavily traveled and where traffic crashes frequently occur. Route 125 has seen nearly 450 crashes and 118 people injured since 2016.
Officers from the Brentwood, Epping, Lee, Barrington and Rochester Police Departments, as well as troopers from New Hampshire Department of Safety Division of State Police Troop-A in Epping, took part in the effort.
Of the 10 arrests made, four involved impaired drivers. Officials said one of the impaired drivers fled a stop and led officers on a slow-speed pursuit. It was ultimately stopped through the use of a tire deflation device and the driver taken into custody without further incident. The driver was later charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated as well as several other automobile violations.
The additional, directed patrols are paid by grants from the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety.