Sacramento, California – A few miles per hour can feel like nothing from behind the wheel. On the street, it can mean everything.
That is the message Sacramento police are pushing this July and beyond as the department urges drivers to follow posted speed limits and “slow the fast down.” The phrase may sound simple, but the warning behind it is serious: speed continues to turn ordinary trips into crashes that leave families, neighborhoods and emergency crews dealing with consequences that cannot be undone.
The Sacramento Police Department’s reminder comes as speeding remains one of the most dangerous behaviors on California roads. According to the 2025 California Traffic Safety Survey, speeding and aggressive driving remained the top safety concern among surveyed California drivers. The survey found that 77.5% of surveyed drivers identified “Speeding/Aggressive Driving” as their biggest roadway safety concern.
The danger is not only tied to drivers racing far above the limit. Even small increases in speed can shrink the time a driver has to notice a person crossing the street, a bicyclist entering a lane, a red light ahead, or traffic suddenly slowing. Higher speed also increases the force of a crash, turning what could have been a close call or a minor collision into something far more severe.
The national numbers show why police departments keep returning to this message. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 11,288 people died in speeding-related crashes across the United States in 2024, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities that year. In California alone, officials said 1,139 people were killed in speeding-related crashes in 2024.
“Speeding is dangerous and puts everyone at risk,” Sergeant Anna Mahoney said. “Your daily choice to drive within the speed limit protects everyone in our community. Risky driving behaviors like speeding continue to cause preventable tragedies on California roads.”
For Sacramento, the warning is especially important during the busy summer months, when more people are out walking, biking, driving to events, traveling with family, or moving through work zones and neighborhood streets. A driver in a hurry may only be trying to save a few minutes. But on a road shared with children, seniors, cyclists, construction workers and other motorists, those few minutes can carry a heavy cost.
Police are asking drivers to make basic choices before they ever reach the point of danger. Plan ahead. Leave earlier. Give yourself more time than the map app says you need. Posted speed limits are not suggestions, and they matter even more in school zones, work zones, residential areas and places where people on foot or bike may be nearby.
Drivers are also being reminded to slow down for the real conditions around them, not just the number on the sign. Heavy traffic, poor visibility, wet pavement, road work, glare, darkness, pedestrians and unexpected hazards can all make a legal speed unsafe. Tailgating, weaving through lanes, cutting around slower cars and pushing through traffic only add more risk.
The department’s message is not complicated because the solution is not complicated. Slowing down gives drivers more time to react. It gives people outside vehicles a better chance to be seen. It reduces the force of a crash when something goes wrong. Most importantly, it helps make sure that a routine drive ends the way it should, with everyone arriving safely.