Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I spent one afternoon on a walk in my neighborhood, where I came across this sign.   Intrigued, I Googled the website, www.DriveLikeYourKidsLiveHere.com.  A couple in Connecticut started this organization before having their first child, after observing speeding vehicles in their neighborhood.  They now sell their signs in major box stores and online.

The website reveals some tragic statistics about motor vehicle collisions caused by speeding in residential neighborhoods that seriously injure or kill children.  According to the site, motor vehicle collisions are a leading killer of children, with an average of three children aged 14 and younger killed every day in the U.S., and of those, 4 to 5 children killed each week are pedestrians. Most notable was the relationship between the speed of the driver and the survival rate of the pedestrian child:           

Child pedestrian hit by vehicle traveling 20 mph:                  90 percent survival rate      

Child pedestrian hit by vehicle traveling 30 mph:                  50 percent survival rate   

Child pedestrian hit by vehicle traveling 40 mph:                  10 percent survival rate

Arizona has a statute that requires all motorists to drive at a speed that is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances, conditions and actual and potential hazards then existing.  While no definite speed limit exists above which a driver is violating the law, the statutes do provide some guidance on the issue, as any speed in excess of the following  is evidence that the speed is too great and therefore unreasonable:

            Fifteen miles per hour (15 mph) approaching a school crossing;

            Twenty-five miles per hour (25 mph) in a business or residential district.

The implication is clear:  Speed kills. Especially in neighborhoods where children live.

Let’s keep tragedy out of the holiday season this year and beyond.  And when driving in our neighborhoods, please Drive Like Your Kids Live Here!