A north Georgia city's police department provides radar guns to properly trained local citizens in residential areas to monitor the speed of vehicles passing through.
These citizen activists are not authorized to issue tickets, but they get the license plate of those who exceed the posted speed limit and the vehicle's owner receives a warning letter from the police department.
As I listened to the news report of this operation, one of the neighborhood residents made mention that while children are at play close to the streets, the "drivers don't realize how fast they are going."
But in almost every vehicle I have driven, the largest display item on the dashboard behind my steering wheel is the speedometer. Then I thought, she's probably right.
With all the distractions drivers face such as music, cell phones, passengers talking and whatever else, people may well not pay attention to how fast they are traveling.
The auto insurance industry reports that the average traffic crash repair costs range between $2,500 and $2,900 per incident. When injuries occur, the medical and legal component of the mishaps skyrockets.
Here's what motorists should consider, especially in or near a school zone, a residential area or a shopping area where there are a number of pedestrians:
- Pay attention to posted speed limits.
- Be on the lookout for children playing and slow down. If a ball or a Frisbee rolls into the street, there's probably going to be a child not far behind.
- Remember that insurers check your motor vehicle record periodically and speeding tickets can have a negative effect on your insurance rates.
- My favorite line from law enforcement in residential areas: "What part of stop don't you understand" when a driver runs a stop sign. Slowing down doesn't count.
I have seen news stories about children, older pedestrians and scooter/motorcyclists/bicyclists receiving serious injuries or worse. That's troubling at a time when more cycles are on the road as people either exercise or deal with fuel costs.
There is no excuse for not knowing how fast one is traveling. The speedometer is staring you in the face!
DAVID COLMANS IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GEORGIA INSURANCE INFORMATION SERVICE. CONTACT HIM AT 770-565-3806 OR BY E-MAIL AT DCOLMANS@GIIS.ORG.
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