Do you have problems with speeders in your neighborhood? One Antioch neighborhood is calling for change after a series of accidents involving speeders crashing into homes. One woman says that drivers drive so dangerously in her neighborhood that, in the last year alone, four cars have ended up in her yard. And the accidents aren’t mere spin outs – in at least one instance, a driver’s seat ended up in the yard separate from a crashed vehicle.
The woman is in contact with Metro police and Metro Public Works to enforce change. A guard rail, a speed limit change, speed bumps and an additional stop sign are all things that residents of the neighborhood believe could help protect the families and children who live along dangerous roads.
LOWERING RESIDENTIAL SPEED LIMITS – DOES IT DECREASE ACCIDENTS?
Lower speeds save lives – as one might expect. Drivers who are driving slower have more time to recognize dangerous situations and avoid crashes. And if a car accident happens anyway, slower speeds mean less likelihood of injury.
The science behind speeding and injuries supports this. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle driving 30mph has a roughly 30 percent chance of death. At 40mph, the risk of death increases to 80 percent. A speed limit reduction to 20mph would result in a 98 percent chance of survival for victims of pedestrian accidents.
Research has also shown that children under 15 cannot reliably gauge a moving vehicle’s speed when it is moving faster than 20mph. This is one reason why so many kids are hit every year darting into traffic. While there are many opponents of decreased speed limits, the numbers all suggest that a decrease could save lives.