The NHTSA’s 2Q 2020 Traffic Safety Report Illuminates Traffic Calming Needs for 2021

2020 has been an incredibly tumultuous year. We’ve seen virus-related anomalies in every sector, including traffic safety. Over the last nine months there were more speeding drivers on the roads and higher numbers of road-related deaths. According to the NHTSA, this was the result of reduced traffic volume combined with a reduction in traffic enforcement (as a way to limit officers’ exposure to the COVID virus). The combination gave drivers more freedom to speed and engage in risky behaviors. 

While traffic enforcement has now resumed, the number of speeders and deaths has continued to climb. The NHTSA’s Examination of the Traffic Safety Environment During the Second Quarter Of 2020 Special Report provides critical insights into how the virus is changing how we look at traffic safety. Importantly, the paper suggests solutions by through:

  1. Collaboration between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to identify appropriate countermeasures
  2. Leveraging the value of effective law enforcement to deter risky driver behaviors.   

How to Implement the NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Recommendations in 2021

Radarsign radar speed signs can be a central part of the NHTSA’s recommended solution because they accomplish both measures. 

There are more than 10,000 Radarsign brand radar speed signs in use, slowing speeding drivers throughout the nation. Most were implemented because communities, municipalities and law enforcement agencies collaborated to identify a traffic calming solution to make their local streets safer. 

Radarsign radar speed signs leverage the value of effective law enforcement by serving as an extra cop on duty, freeing up officers so they can focus on more urgent issues. And when used with Radarsign Streetsmart data collection software, law enforcement agencies can capture and analyze traffic data to determine when and where to deploy traffic enforcement officers. 

To get more information about Radarsign product options and to find the solution that is right for your community, click here.

Charlie Robeson: Radarsign Co-founder & Director of Sales and Marketing