The Village of Coal Grove will begin targeting speeding vehicles with a manned photo laser speed program on Thursday.

The goal is to slow drivers down on the highway and prevent accidents.

Coal Grove Police Chief Eric Spurlock said that it couldn’t come too soon.

He related that early on Thursday morning, an officer stopped a car on U.S. 52 that was doing 109 miles per hour near the Ashland bridges.

“He said he was on his way to work,” Spurlock said. “He was flying.”

He said the department averages between 50-80 speeding tickets a month on the highway and in the village.

“And that is only with one officer out,” Spurlock said.

Since the department got approval from the village council last month, officers will begin using a unit to capture a photo of the civil violation, and later, if the violation is approval by a supervisor, the registered owner of the vehicle will get a citation mailed to them. Fines start at $125 for most roads and fines for speeding violations in school or construction zones start at $150.

The police officer can still pull someone over and issue a uniform citation. The advantage of a civil citation is that, unlike a uniform citation, points will not be accessed to the driver and won’t be reported to the driver’s insurance company.

The program begins on Aug. 1 with a 30-day warning period.

Citations issued during this period will not include a fine, but rather serve as notice that the program is underway.

After the warning period is over on Aug. 31, violators will have 30 days to pay the fine by mail, Internet or by phone. If it isn’t paid, the citations can be sent to collections. The registered owners of the violating vehicles may attend Municipal Court to contest the charge. The law states that a person who is issued the ticket may contest the ticket by filing a written request for a municipal court hearing to review the citation. Citations may be contested through due process, as approved by the Ohio Supreme Court.