Speeding cars have always been a major problem on the highways, but more often, we are seeing this menacing driving habit converge into the residential areas. Once a bastion of peace and tranquillity, quiet streets and sleep lanes are now faced with reckless drivers whisking by at speeds so fierce that an emergency stop would be impossible. Statistics have shown that the incident of pedestrians and cyclists hit by a car are three times higher in a residential neighborhood that those recorded on the highways.
Many neighborhood speed limits are set at 25 miles per hour, with slower zones applied to school areas when children are present. A vehicle moving at 40 mph takes only 1.36 seconds to travel nearly 60 feet, making an emergency slam on the brakes useless once the driver recognizes what's happening. The highest risk to injury and death occurs with children who are not able to process through sight and sounds the gravity of what is taking place on the road. Revved up engines, tire screeching around the corner and the shrill of a skid does not register fast enough in young minds for the children to react quickly and get out of the way.
If you feel your neighborhood or HOA is in danger of unsafe driving in the neighborhood, there are a few corrective measures you may suggest at your next HOA meeting. Law enforcement does their part to keep the streets safe, however, the real movers and shakers are the residents who come together to bring change.
1. Homeowners associations agree that the presence of children near to the road serves as a viable deterrent to high speed driving on residential streets, and a savvy entrepreneur from Orlando, FL has come up with the answer. Mike Woods has created cardboard cutouts of children playing that are so lifelike with depth and clarity, even the most discerning driver cannot tell they are not real. The cutouts sell for $60 per figure and are catching on all across the country.
2. Radar Speed Signs: Sometimes a driver doesn't mean to put the pedal to the metal, and all it takes to reduce their speed is a gentle reminder that they are exceeding the speed limit. According to statistics, 80 percent of drivers will react to a visual aid and slow their speed in compliance. Radar speed signs may be a portable battery powered model, flat panels that affix to speed limit signs, or the energy efficient solar powered display.
3. Speed Bumps: For the speeding driver that needs a physical nudge to slow down, adding a few speed bumps is an effective technique to make the motorist hit the brakes. Speed bumps should be constructed on long stretches of roadway where a driver has the potential to pick up speed, carefully placed to where the vehicle acceleration does not exceed 30 mph in between bumps. An unsuspecting speeder may take the jolt of the speed bump once, but he or she will think twice when encountering this deterrent a second time. Driver discomfort and vehicular damage are the consequences to noncompliance, making the speed bump an easy lesson to learn.
This article was written by Joe Cline. Joe Cline writes articles for Austin TX realtor. Other articles written by the author related to Austin Texas real estate and Pflugerville real estate can be found on the net.
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