Earlier this year, NBC 5 Investigates began looking into excessive speeding along Central Expressway and clocked some drivers going faster than 130 mph. Now, a little further up the road in Collin County, the Allen Police Department is working to take the highway back from extreme speeders, where driving 90 mph seems the new norm. NBC 5 Investigates got into the car with Allen police officer Andrew Rembert to ride with him along U.S. Highway 75/Central Expressway and Texas 121/Sam Rayburn Tollway. It didn’t take long before Rembert clocked drivers going at least 20 mph over the 70 mph posted speed limit. Allen police officer Andrew Rembert clocks drivers along U.S. Highway 75/Central Expressway. Rembert said that’s only the beginning and that seeing drivers going 100 mph is not uncommon. Allen Chief of Police Steve Dye launched a major crackdown in May, assigning officers to work overtime on the highways. “It’s out of hand, and we need to do something about it,” Dye said. New data obtained by NBC 5 Investigates shows that in just the first four months of Dye’s program, Allen police ticketed 967 drivers, more than one-third of whom were clocked at or above 90 mph. The data showed that 27 drivers were going faster than 100 mph. Allen Chief of Police Steve Dye talks with NBC 5 Investigates about speeds along U.S. Highway 75/Central Expressway. “When you’re 30-plus mph over the speed limit, you’re a danger to everyone,” Dye said. Earlier this year, NBC 5 Investigates highlighted extreme speeds on another stretch of Central Expressway closer to Downtown Dallas, where some drivers were going well over 120 mph. However, the problem of excessive speeds is not unique to Dallas. Police across the Metroplex report dangerous speeds are a growing threat. Photos shared by the Arlington Police Department show they’ve clocked drivers driving more than 140 mph. Police in Arlington shared photos with NBC 5 Investigates showing the race track-level speeds they’ve recorded. One driver was even going 141 mph. Police in cities including Allen and Arlington and the Collin County Sheriff’s Department are now warning drivers that they will face more than a traffic ticket if they are clocked at triple-digit speeds. “These folks are going to go to the pokey,” said Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner at a news conference in May announcing his department’s participation in the speed crackdown. Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner says drivers who are caught driving at triple-digit speeds will be jailed. In Allen, Dye also warned drivers who treat the highway like a speedway. “We’re sending the message that we’re not going to tolerate that dangerous behavior because the rest of us don’t deserve it,” Dye said. The months after Allen police launched extra speed patrols, they reported a 10% drop in injury crashes across the city. Fewer crashes mean safer roads and time and money saved for the city’s fire department, which responds to many crashes, often made worse by speed. “If we can reduce these high speed, high impact crashes, that’s beneficial to everyone,” said Jonathan Boyd, Allen Fire Chief. Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd says fewer crashes caused by speeding drivers benefit everyone. Allen police said the cost of the overtime pay needed to run extra speed patrols is covered by the fines drivers pay, which allows the department to assign more officers to work the highways without reducing the number of officers available to answer calls on city streets. Across the Metroplex, transportation officials are now promising to pour millions of additional dollars into police departments to help them target speeders. “It’s gotten out of hand,” said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, wants to fund an effort to combat speeding in North Texas communities. Morris said his agency is ready to help fund more patrols with unmarked cars to help tackle speeds that have soared since the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our plan is to advertise it in advance. Tell everyone in the world what it is we’re going to do, and then bring as much freaking enforcement as we possibly can. So people say these people are serious,” said Morris. Back on the highway in Allen, Rembert stopped another driver doing more than 90 mph. Police hope each stop will help reduce the lives lost on Texas roads. “So if we can do work to prevent that, that’s what we all strive for,” Rembert said. Allen police officer Andrew Rembert writes a speeding ticket along U.S. Highway 75/Central Expressway. After NBC 5 Investigates reported on extreme speeds on U.S. 75 in Dallas, City Councilman Paul Ridley called on the Texas Department of Transportation to reevaluate the speed limit on Central Expressway. This month, TxDOT and the Dallas City Council announced they would lower the speed limit from 70 mph to 65 mph between Mockingbird Lane and Downtown Dallas. The lower limit is a first step toward taking the edge off the high speeds driven along that road. Safety experts admit that a lower speed limit may not be enough of a deterrent for drivers already willing to drive more than 100 mph. They caution road design changes are often more effective at reducing speeds. Still, a lower speed limit will allow police to impose stiffer penalties and arrest extreme speeders at a lower threshold. DRIVEN TO DEATH driven to death Nov 2, 2023 Dallas traffic death rate worst among 10 largest U.S. cities driven to death Nov 6, 2023 Dallas plan to cut traffic deaths rolls slowly years after council OK'd ‘Vision Zero' driven to death Nov 7, 2023 Dallas City Council members question lack of progress on ‘Vision Zero' traffic safety plan driven to death Nov 8, 2023 Can a Canadian city be a model for Dallas when it comes to road safety? driven to death Nov 9, 2023 Experts question if high speed limits and bad road designs add to Dallas traffic deaths driven to death Nov 17, 2023 With speed the leading cause of Dallas traffic deaths, where are the police? Dallas Jan 30 $500M Dallas transportation bond proposal devotes less than 2% to ‘Vision Zero' road safety plan nbc 5 investigates Dec 13, 2023 One dangerous Dallas street will get a ‘road diet' with federal funds Dallas Jan 31 Dallas council members question ‘minimal' Vision Zero road safety funding in bond plan Fort Worth Feb 6 Fort Worth fatal crashes up 31% in five years as city talks ‘Vision Zero' driven to death Feb 6 Dallas intersection where NBC 5 highlighted pedestrian dangers gets a new crosswalk driven to death Feb 7 Draft traffic study suggests major changes to slow speedy drivers on Ferguson Road in far East Dallas driven to death Feb 14 Five pedestrians killed in 11 months on less than a mile of Loop 12, prompting calls for change driven to death Feb 16 State senator pledges action after NBC 5 investigation highlights deaths on Loop 12 driven to death Feb 20 Dallas ‘Vision Zero' road safety progress questioned at city council briefing driven to death Feb 21 ‘It could have killed someone' Dallas residents beg for protection from dangerous drivers on NW Hwy driven to death Feb 28 Dallas Dept. of Transportation misses deadlines for responding to road complaints thousands of times driven to death Feb 29 Dallas residents hear city's plan to address traffic dangers on Ferguson Road driven to death Mar 27 DART considers moving bus stops to areas safer for pedestrians driven to death Apr 3 Dallas City Council questions how to accelerate road safety plan traffic May 1 Could your phone help save you from a wrong-way driver? Fort Worth May 15 Fort Worth streets identified as dangerous years ago are still among the most deadly Dallas May 22 Triple-digit speeds on Central raise concerns about expressway turned speedway driven to death Aug 28 Dallas considers lowering speed limits on city's deadliest road Dallas Sep 6 Passenger in car that hit & killed student on E. Ledbetter Drive/Loop 12 charged with murder: DPD driven to death Sep 8 Dozens of 'emergency' traffic safety changes planned for Loop 12 driven to death Sep 11 Dallas lowers speed limit on Central Expwy after NBC 5 Investigates reveals extreme speeds driven to death 3 hours ago Headed ‘to the pokey.' DFW-area police warn extreme speeders of possible arrest