‘Some call it speeding; I call it my personal express lane.’

Is this you, or a typical driver next to you on the road every day? How can we help slow people down? West Jordan Traffic Engineers have been working to create safer roads for everyone.

Real world solutions for speeding

The three “Es”:

Education:

• Reading this right now will remind you to check your speed. You may be a part of the problem.
• Officers clarify and educate traffic offenders about laws and consequences – from fines to loss of life.
• Speed feedback radar signs, mail letters to the neighborhoods, educate parents about speeding near school zones, etc.

Engineering:

• Road design changes behaviors. Roundabouts and curb extensions can force vehicles to slow down. Striping, signing and road geometry can make a big difference in the number of accidents and speeding tickets.
• Radar signs, striping and slow-down signs increase awareness.

Enforcement:

• Officers wait in problematic areas and enforce traffic laws. This holds people accountable for their actions.
• When drivers know they are being watched, they slow down out of fear of getting cited, losing their driving privileges, or having their car insurance premium increased.

Since we adopted a new approach for managing speeding in West Jordan, the number of drivers exceeding the posted speed limit dropped from 6 out of 10 to 2 out of 10 citywide in two years,” Nestor Gallo, West Jordan’s traffic engineer said. “Crash rates are also lower compared to previous years, and the severity of the accidents is also the lowest in years.”

Do the traffic updates and solutions make a difference in how your tax dollars are spent? Yes, but costs actually decrease with more effort. EMTs and police officers are not overloaded anymore and do not have to respond to multiple accidents during peak hours and weekends.

Did you know speed bumps don’t make drivers slow down?

They can do more harm than good: Studies show that drivers may slow down to get over the bump, but speed again to make up for lost time. And, for every speed bump, emergency response time increases by 30 seconds each bump. An extra two minutes in emergency response could mean life or death. And, snow plows are many times the size and weight of a car or truck; going over a speed bump for them is intense and drivers can get a concussion.

You can be part of the solution! Remember, you are not the only one who needs to get to work, school or appointments on time. Your driving choices can either make things smoother or more challenging for others. Let’s all shift gears and work together. Slow down, keep an eye out for pedestrians, and always make full stops at stop signs.