New ‘Keep Kids Alive’ area in Wildwood

Drivers using Old Eatherton Road to and from the St. Albans area to Clayton Road or Hwy. 109 now face steeper fines for speeding. The Wildwood City Council approved an ordinance to adopt the “Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25” program there.

The ordinance specifically designates Old Eatherton Road between Hwy. 109 and Shepard Road as a special enforcement area, which means fines will be at least double the normal rate for speeders caught in the selected zone.

“Fines for speeding in these areas can be up to $1,000,” said Ryan Thomas, Wildwood’s director of public works and the city engineer.

Thomas said Wildwood has approximately 10 other streets with the “Drive 25” designation.

He said the original request to slow down traffic near Old Eatherton Road came from residents living in the Ashford Oaks subdivision. 

“The trail system connects to Old Eatherton and the street is near Babler Elementary and St. Alban Roe school, so it’s a good idea for safety reasons to help the flow in that overall area,” Thomas said.

The new enforcement will be in place once signs are erected, he added.

Keep Kids Alive was launched as a nonprofit in 1998 by Tom Everson, who now resides in Nebraska. Some cities report a 16 percent decrease in average speeds of drivers within newly-designated zones.

Officials for the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) promote five main reasons not to speed, all of which have to do with ‘saving’ the following: lives, money, the environment, tickets and ultimately, one’s license. GHSA research found that a 1 percent decrease in travel speed reduces injury crashes by about 2 percent, serious injury crashes by about 3 percent, and fatal crashes by nearly 4 percent. 

U.S. Department of Energy statistics also indicate that drivers can assume that each 5 miles per hour driven above 60 mph is like paying an additional 20 cents per gallon for gas. According to Ford Motor Company, driving a vehicle at 65 mph consumes about 15 percent more fuel than driving the same vehicle at 55 mph. 

Regarding pure safety reasons for these types of designated zones, National Highway Traffic Safety Association records reveal that when drivers hit pedestrians at 20 mph, 5 percent will die. Additionally, when pedestrians are hit at 30 mph, a total of 45 percent will die; and at 40 mph, 85 percent will die.