Do you Plan to Stay Safe this Holiday Season?

Everybody plans on staying safe during the holiday season. But each year, too many people are hurt and killed during the holidays due to traffic accidents. Why are people more at risk during the holiday season? What can you do to avoid accidents and ensure that you protect yourself and your family? What can you do to ensure that the streets of your city are safer for everyone?

Read our December newsletter and learn how and why you need to work to stay safe this holiday season.

There's a Better Way

Many cities are turning to speed cameras for a quick solution to stop speeders. It seems like a foolproof solution. But can technology make mistakes? You may be surprised by the answer.

Daniel Doty, a lawyer in Baltimore, MD, recently received a citation for speeding at 38 mph in a 25 mph zone. The citation included photos and a link to a 3 second video, both of which show that his Mazda was actually sitting still at a red light. Mr. Doty is contesting the $40 charge, but the repercussions are staggering. Thousands of speed tickets are issued each day. How many of them are mistakes?

Apparently speed cameras, thought to be infallible, are capable of errors. But when they do work, do they really work? Do they create changes in driver behavior?

Speed cameras may be effective in curbing behavior for the short term but they also create resentment, which may lead to drivers driving less safely instead of more safely on roads not outfitted with cameras. One organization in the UK claims that speed cameras actually do cause worse driver behavior. Is there a better way to slow drivers for the long run?

Unlike speed cameras, speed display signs simply alert drivers without penalizing them, trusting them to respond appropriately to the reminder. Speed signs create self-motivation and promote alertness that stays with drivers as they continue on new roads.

Radar signs provide accurate speeds and effective, long-term speed control. Do speed cameras?

Keeping Score

In Spokane, WA, a workshop was held earlier this week to instruct residents on how to apply for traffic calming measures on their streets. The funds to be used for the program come from the city's red-light enforcement program and include $140,000 for each city council district in the coming year.

Traffic Logix Rubber Speed Cushions

Neighborhoods need to rate their projects so that the ones with highest need are given funding priority. Four main categories are analyzed when assessing which projects should be funded: traffic volume, vehicle speeds, pedestrian activity, and the number of collisions.

Conducting such thorough traffic studies ensure that traffic calming solutions are installed where they're needed most instead of where residents are the most outspoken. Often, residents will overestimate the speeds of cars or number of pedestrians.

For more information on creating a point system for installing traffic calming solutions, visit the Traffic Logix Guide to Developing a Traffic Calming Program.