Hazardous Moving Violation grants provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation will be used to fund a new project intended to promote highway safety. "The Heat is On" is a campaign launched by the Joplin Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff's office and other law enforcement agencies to cut down on fatal and serious injury crashes that occur on local highways mostly between July and September.

From 2-7 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2009 the agencies will be out in force along I-44 from the state line to mile marker 100 conducting a zero tolerance effort concentrating on speed and seatbelt enforcement.

Since January 1, 2009, we have had 68 crashes along I-44 within the city limits (13 injury, 55 property damage) most of which occurred on Friday and Saturday with speed being the number one probable contributing factor (35%), Sergeant Darren Gallup of the Joplin Police Department said.

The 2008 traffic count and accident numbers by county are (EB=eastbound, WB=westbound):

• Newton - volume=31,233/accidents=128; EB=76 (no fatalities), WB=52 (one fatal head on crash with two deaths

• Jasper - volume=33,787/accidents=208; EB=93 (one fatal rear end crash with two deaths), WB=115 (one fatal out of control accident)

• Lawrence - volume=26,611/accidents=140; EB=73 (no fatalities), WB=67 (three fatal accidents with two out of control and one rear end)

• Greene - volume=38,765/accidents=324; EB=148 (no fatalities), WB=176 (one fatal out of control accident)

• Webster - volume=28,001/accidents=166; EB=77 (no fatalities), WB=89 (no fatalities)

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