Number of Vermont Road Deaths Doubled So Far This Year

Vermont State Police are launching a summer-long campaign to crack down on speeding and aggressive driving. The effort comes as traffic fatalities year-to-date have more than doubled over last year.

State police say Vermont had seen 30 traffic accident deaths through the end of May. Meanwhile, a chart on the state police website shows the first five months of 2015 saw fewer than 15 traffic fatalities.

Lt. John Flannigan, the agency’s traffic operations commander, says many of the collisions state police are seeing involve drivers creating hazards through speeding, lack of seat belt use, distracted or impaired driving.

Col. Matthew Birmingham, the state police director, says public safety is the responsibility both of police and of individual drivers. He says most if not all crashes are preventable.