6 Important Reasons to Use Speed Humps in Residential Areas
Every year, vehicular accidents account for thousands of deaths around the world. Many of these deaths result from speeding. While it’s only natural that people want to get where they’re going as quickly as possible when they’re behind the wheel, it’s incumbent on society to do everything it can to keep driving velocities at a safe level. That’s why governments impose speed limits on public roads. It’s also why you should consider installing speed humps in your residential area.
Not only is your neighborhood a place for living, eating, and sleeping, but it’s also a place for recreating and socializing. At any given moment, there are likely dozens of people walking, playing, or visiting along the edge of the streets. It’s important that you do everything possible to keep these people safe.
Installing speed humps won’t solve all your safety issues, but it’s certainly a good place to start. Here are the six main reasons why you should invest in speed humps for your residential area.
Reduce Vehicle Speed
As you would imagine, the primary purpose of speed humps is to make motorists decrease their speed. Generally, the stategy works. Studies show that drivers tend to adopt a lower speed when traveling on roads with speed humps, and they’re forced to go only 15 mph over the humps themselves. You can’t argue with those types of results.
Discourage Through Traffic
While people who actually live in the neighborhood tend to drive safely, outsiders who are using the streets as a shortcut are more likely to barrel through at dangerous speeds. This dangerous tendency stems from their lack of connection with the neighborhood. Their own kids aren’t playing on the streets, so they fail to take the risk into account. Not only will speed humps slow these outsiders down, but they’ll also encourage them to seek an alternative route. This means your community’s roads will be safer and less congested.
Keep Children Safe
When cars speed through quiet neighborhood streets, children are the ones most at danger. Kids are still learning the basics of safety, and they have a tendency to play in the street. Using speed humps to discourage through traffic and keep speeds down will make the area much safer for children. Studies have shown that vehicular deaths are much less common in neighborhoods with speed humps.
Encourage Outdoor Recreation
When cars are whizzing through a neighborhood at dangerous speeds, people are less likely to spend time outside. Parents will forbid their children from getting a pick-up basketball game going, while adults will choose to do their jogging at the gym. After speed humps have succeeded in slowing the local traffic, the streets will become safe for recreation. This will improve the quality of life for everybody.
Make Neighborhood More Social
The best communities are those where everybody gets along. With speeding traffic keeping people inside, it’s much harder for people to get to know each other. Once speed humps have made outdoor recreation safe, people will have more opportunities to mingle. Children will be able to play with their neighbors and classmates, and adults will be able to chat while jogging or walking their dogs.
Increase Property Values
Speed humps make life a lot better in the neighborhood, which encourages other people to want to move in. According to the simple law of supply and demand, this increased interest in the neighborhood will make the property values increase. This is great news for those of you who already own houses in the area.
