Safe Driving in Neighborhoods – Changes Needed

You might think there are fewer kids playing outside and riding bikes around in neighborhoods, but there are still kids who like to do this. Most of the time, children aren’t going to be aware of their surroundings as they’re allowing imagination to take over as they learn to picture themselves in an imaginary world where they could be able to have a lot of fun. Because there are kids playing outside and in the streets, the technology of today is more important than ever when it comes to the cars we drive around on the streets.

Unfortunately, many of us have begun to get frustrated when driving on the roads in neighborhoods because of the slower speed limits, speed bumps, and tight quarters. With many neighborhoods being built without sidewalks, kids, joggers, and those out walking their dogs are now on the roads with us when we’re behind the wheel. This means we’re faced with many more challenges when we drive around in a neighborhood because of the potential of a child running into the street, a dog getting off the leash and running out in front of moving vehicles, and a runner that could have an injury that has them fall down on the ground.

The Safe Changes Needed

We know we should drive slower in neighborhoods because of the challenges that could be encountered. Unfortunately, we not only try to get through these obstacles sooner by rolling around the speed bumps and going faster than we should, but we’re more likely to check our phone apps and texts while driving slower because of the less congestive traffic encountered in the neighborhood areas. What we should be doing instead, is watching our surroundings to make sure we’re aware of the obstacles in the area.

At least one city in Iceland has chosen to take a different approach to try to get us to slow down at crosswalks and in neighborhoods. They have painted an optical illusion on the sidewalk to try and frighten drivers into paying closer attention when driving. The look of the crosswalk gives the appearance of large and substantial bars that could tear up the bottom of a vehicle if you drive over them at a normal speed. The goal with this is to get us to be more cautious when approaching the crosswalk to go about our day in a safe manner.

It’s sad that any town feels they need to use this clever paint job to get us to slow down, but it seems to be the case. If you have or have had kids, you want to know they are safe playing outside in your neighborhood. Be part of the solution and slow down, pay attention, and be patient when you drive around the homes of your friends and neighbors. Your hurry to get where you need to go isn’t worth the injury or potential death that can come to a child that you accidentally hit with your vehicle.