News : Operation Midway to be held May 21-22

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office will participate in Operation Midway on May 21st and 22nd. This project is part of a grant from the Governors Traffic Safety Bureau. Sheriff Randy Forsyth received a 2009-2010 grant that provides $4,800.00 for radars and Alco-Sensors; $1,000.00 for training and educational materials; and $11,000.00 for overtime patrol for a total of $16,800.00 to provide deputies the equipment and extra time to focus on traffic safety in Benton County. This grant runs through September 30, 2010.

One of the program goals is to remind the public of the importance of traffic safety. We seek to reduce accidents through proactive enforcement, public education and awareness. We also hope to reduce injuries and deaths by encouraging all vehicle occupants to wear their seatbelts.

Over the last five years there have been 1,482 crashes and 29 fatalities in Benton County costing each household $27,000.00. Our goal is to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities through increased traffic enforcement.

A recent seatbelt survey in Benton County shows 98% of front seat passengers were wearing their seatbelts. This is better than the state average of 93%.