Neighborhood Traffic Calming:
Slow Traffic Down In your Neighborhood

Residential speeding is the most common citizen complaint issued to police departments and city council representatives throughout the United States. Neighborhood speeding creates a danger to pedestrians, to bicyclists and especially to children. Radarsign can help with neighborhood traffic calming.

Effectiveness

The fatality rate in residential zones due to car accidents is nearly 3 times the rate on highways. Studies have proven that slowing traffic down will greatly reduce the chances of a fatal accident involving pedestrians and automobiles. A small change in speeds has a dramatic effect on whether those involved live or die.

The speed limit in most neighborhoods is 25 mph.

• At only 20 mph, 15% of pedestrians struck by an automobile will die of their injuries.
• At 30 mph 55% will die.
• At 40 mph, 85% will die.

It's hard to imagine how many feet you travel in a vehicle at different speeds. Consider that in many subdivisions a lot size is generally around 100 feet long on the street. Now look how quickly you move down a neighborhood street even at slow speeds:
A vehicle traveling 40 MPH will still be going 36 MPH when it hits a person who suddenly appears in the street 100 feet ahead of it. The average driver going 25 MPH would be able to come to a full stop within 100 feet!1

Why do driver feedback signs work?

Most speeders in your neighborhood live in the neighborhood. Very often drivers are speeding without even realizing it. We have all done it. We are driving along thinking about what we have to do, where we are supposed to be, who we need to call, often never realizing that we are exceeding the speed limit. The driver feedback sign shifts the brain out of the alpha state where the brain is aware but relaxed into the beta state where the brain is alert and focused. As a result the driver responds to the flashing speed alert and slows down.

How to reduce driving speeds in your neighborhood

Radarsign's systems offer a great neighborhood traffic-calming solution because they give drivers notice that they are speeding.

• Tests confirm that 80% of speeding drivers will slow down when alerted by a radar sign.
• Typical speed reductions are 10-20%, and overall speed limit compliance increases 30-60%.
• Studies show that radar signs continue to be effective in slowing traffic even seven years after installation.

Benefits of a Radarsign Driver Feedback Sign

• Slower speeds = Safer streets
• Slower speeds = Lower emissions
• Slower speeds = Higher perceived value in home pricing
• Avoids all the negatives of speed humps including:
  • Slower response times of emergency vehicles: police, fire and ambulance
  • Added wear and tear on your vehicle
  • Increased noise
  • Pits neighbor against neighbor (for vs. against)
  • Required expense of maintenance
  • Perceived neighborhood speeding problem could lower house values

1 *A.J. McLean, "Vehicle Speeds and the Incidence of Fatal Pedestrian Collisions", Federal Office of Road Safety, Australia