Do Speed Patrols Save Lives?

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Even more speed patrols are coming to the City of Scottsdale around Pima Road running through Scottsdale. Already I mentioned that in Frebruary, photo radar will begin on the Loop 101 Freeway running through Scottsdale. Now around Pima Road near the vicinity of the Loop 101 Freeway, Scottsdale will increase patrols in the area as part of a "special speed-enforcement" effort. Why? More and more drivers are injured and dying in car crashes and concerned residents are starting to speak out.

According to the Arizona Republic,

A head-on collision Wednesday in the 35300 block of North Pima Road left one man dead and three others seriously injured and prompted residents to ask again for increased patrols to curb speed in the area.

This article suggests that the carnage last year in the same area led to the deaths of twelve people. As I have indicated before, speed enforcement alone is not the answer. Increased speed patrols, together with re-engineering our roadways to protect drivers from dangerous hazards and re-educating the driving public to drive defensively will make our roadways safer. Last year, the State of Arizona Department of Transportation blocked a bill from passage which would have mandated placement of guardrails on the Loop 101 Freeway adjacent to an empty fourteen foot concrete drainage channel. As a result, this Scottsdale stretch of roadway still contains dangerous hazards. At some point, police will stop their special enforcement patrols, we will face the same dangerous unprotected hazards on this and other roadways and more people will die. Without legislative intervention, it is highly doubtful that our roadways will be adequately protected. This year, speak out and demand change. It is time to seek roadway protection on our dangerous roadways. A group of families who have lost their children in tragic motor vehicle accidents on the Loop 101 Freeway formed a group known as Families for Loop 101 Safety. Join their cause and demand change on our freeways! Click here for information about Families for Loop 101 Safety.