Rumson Police Ward Off Careless, Speeding Drivers with Holidays in Sight

If you're feeling caught up in the holiday rush, Rumson police are reminding area residents not to take it to the streets and keep the pace steady, slow and careful while driving through town.

While November's statistics are not yet available, October's speeding records alone showed cause for concern that "people probably need to just take a breath and be more cognizant of how fast and carefully they may or may not be traveling," Rumson Police Chief Scott Paterson said. "In addition to speed, there are other factors on the road in the fall that they need to pay more attention to, such as leaf piles and wet leaves causing a loss of traction, making sure they're not talking on the phone, texting, and just not being appropriately attentive."

A total of 200 motor vehicle stops were made on various traffic violations in October alone, Paterson said. Of the 200, 51 summonses were issued.

There has long been an issue with speeding and associated traffic violations in the largely residential borough. Since school started there have been concentrated crack-downs by police in different areas where the problem was reported to have spiked. Now the holiday rush has heightened concern and enforcement.

"Our officers try to give people fair warning and use balanced judgement, especially if they're not repeat offenders," the chief said. "It's just something to be especially aware of as we approach the holiday season and there are naturally more people on the road who tend to be in more of a hurry."