November 5, 2024
Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia
Pinecrest School

County education campaign targets speeding

#cars, #police, #safety
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Braddock Supervisor John Cook (left) speaks at kick-off of anti-speeding campaign.

Fairfax County launched an anti-speeding campaign Aug. 28 aimed at educating drivers about the dangers of speeding on neighborhood streets.

Fairfax County supervisors, Fairfax County Police Department officials, and leaders of community associations and Neighborhood Watch groups gathered at the FCPD driver training facility in Chantilly for the kick-off of the “Slow Down: You Live Here. We Live Here” campaign.

The Police Department is purchasing eight radar messaging signs that will be deployed across the county at spots where a lot of drivers tend to exceed the speed limit. The devices will let drivers know how fast they are going, with the objective of encouraging them to slow down.

The campaign also includes a neighborhood toolkit with yard signs and public service videos. Attendees at today’s event participated in a series of demonstrations illustrating the impact of speed and distance on a driver’s response time – and how difficult it is to avoid hitting a child or animal in the road when a driver is speeding.

According to the findings of a survey of county residents, 80 percent of respondents believe speed is a problem in their neighborhood, 80 percent are worried about speeding cars striking children, and 74 percent want the police the stop more speeders in their neighborhood.

According to roadway speed calculations by FCPS, there are places on local roads where well over 50 of motorists were traveling more than 10 mph over posted speed limits.

“This is about making our neighborhoods safer,” said Braddock Supervisor John Cook, who spearheaded the anti-speeding campaign in response to concerns from Braddock residents. “We are hoping for voluntary compliance with speed and traffic laws, as well as a better understanding of how we can work together to combat neighborhood speeding.”

6 responses to “County education campaign targets speeding”

  1. “Slow Down: You Live Here. We Live Here” I wonder how many FCPD employees live in Fairfax. They get to take their county issued police vehicles home to places far away such as Winchester, Maryland, Stafford, etc. all on the Fairfax tax payers' bill.

    As much as I hate pot holes, they have been really useful to slow down the speeders on my street. Make the streets safer? Crime does not pay, so they go after people who are barely making it in Fairfax. These people are mobile revenue collectors for the county, I'll do my best to not speed because unlike the enforcers I actually do live here. Money could be better spent on zoning enforcement and immigration checks.

    Tired Taxpayer.

    Reply

  2. Well they probably need to come to Parklawn which is like a race track on most days. When school is in session moms and dads RACE through the neighborhood running stop signs and the like to drop their kids off and get to work. They almost run over morning runners and dog walkers. Every morning. During the summer, minivan mothers and teenagers race through the neighborhood to get to the pool paying no heed to the little kids playing in front yards or driveways that could dart into traffic.

    I NEVER see any speed traps. I NEVER see Fairfax County PD do cruises through the neighborhood on a regular basis. I have lived in other parts of the County and they must have been better neighborhoods or more affluent because police would cruise through all the time. We did not have the speeding or car breakins that Parklawn has on a regular basis.

    Reply

  3. FCPD personnel cannot afford to live here, which is why they live further out. We are fortunate to have one of the best police departments in the country.

    Reply

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