WEST JORDAN, Utah — Frequent flyers beware.
We're not talking about airline passengers, but motorists who regularly drive over – sometimes way over – the speed limit.
A new, Salt Lake Valleywide police effort is targeting speeding and aggressive drivers.
READ: Over 100 cars caught speeding through West Valley City crosswalk
For more than a year now, UHP troopers have been reporting a dramatic increase in people driving in excess of 100 miles an hour on our freeways.
Local cops say it's almost as bad on surface streets, so they're cracking down on lead-foots who are breaking the law, and putting everyone at risk.
Armed with laser guided technology, cops all across the valley are looking out for speeding drivers.
"Not just speeding violations but the excessive speeding violations,” said Officer Sam Winkler with the West Jordan Police Department. “Those speeds hitting upwards into the triple digits even here on Bangerter Highway, Mountain View Highway."
READ: Default speed limit in Salt Lake City decreases to 20 miles per hour
With an assist from UHP troopers on two wheels, West Jordan police and cops all across the valley are taking part in this saturation operation.
"So our goal today is to get out there and remind the motorists that the speed limit is set for a reason,” Winker said. “That's a safe speed, the traffic signals are timed for specific speeds and when vehicles are going way too fast we start seeing crashes."
The operation in West Jordan will be citywide but with an emphasis on Bangerter Highway, Mountain View Corridor and Redwood Road.
For those who treat the streets like they're in the “Fast and the Furious” movies, cops say the goal should be "safe and serious."
"So when these cars are darting in and out of traffic at high speeds, it's very easy for them to lose control,” Winkler added. “In addition to, you don't know, is there a hazard up ahead? Is there a pedestrian in a crosswalk? What's going on? So we really want these motorists to slow down."
UHP Troopers and West Jordan officers made 165 traffic stops Wednesday between 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., just on Bangerter Highway and the Mountain View Corridor.
Most were for speeding, many received citations while a few got away with a warning.
Drivers better get used to seeing a lot more officers out there because another valley-wide saturation operation gets underway Friday.
