City of DuPont announcement.
DUPONT, WA– The City of DuPont will begin its school zone speed and red light photo enforcement program on April 1, 2023. The goal of this initiative is to encourage safe driving in school zones and at red light intersections. There will be a minimum 30-day warning period before finable infractions are issued by the DuPont Police Department through the new school zone speed and red light photo enforcement program.
In 2020, 928 people were killed, and an estimated 116,000 were injured in crashes involving drivers running red lights across the nation. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) – an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization – red-light runners caused about half of the deaths involving pedestrians, cyclists and occupants in vehicles.
Furthermore, according to the Transportation Research Board, 25,000 children are injured annually, and more than 100 killed on average, while walking to or from school – all the result of speeding motorists. The danger to children walking and cycling to school is increased due to their small size relative to vehicles and their unpredictability. This makes following the posted speed critical to children’s safety, as even a relatively small increase in speed can have a big impact on survival rates. For example, while pedestrians struck by a vehicle going 20 mph have a 90 percent survival rate, that drops to 60 percent survival at 30 mph, and 20 percent survival at 40 mph.
The traffic safety program uses a fixed school zone speed camera to enforce the 20 MPH school zone speed limit, located at Pioneer Middle School – specifically at:
- Center Drive (2200 Block Northbound)
- Center Drive (2300 Block Southbound)
The following dangerous red light intersections will also be monitored:
- Center Drive at Wilmington Drive (Northbound)
- Center Drive at Wilmington Drive (Southbound)
- Center Drive at McNeil Street (Northbound)
- Center Drive at McNeil Street (Southbound)
- Wilmington Drive at Dupont-Steilacoom Road (Southbound)
As previously stated, the photo enforcement program begins with a minimum of a 30-day warning period, giving motorists time to change their driving habits before payable notices of infraction are implemented. “Photo Enforced” signs are clearly posted in the school zone and at red light intersections. While speed cameras operate when school beacons are flashing, the red light intersections are monitored all day, every day, using advanced photo enforcement technology from NovoaGlobal. The monitoring system captures both photos and videos of violators who speed in the school zone and at red light intersections.
If a driver speeds in a school zone or runs a red light, the driver receives a Notice of Infraction from the DuPont Police Department, which is sent to the car’s registered owner. Photo evidence will be on the Notice of Infraction and all photo and video evidence will be available online at https://zerofatality.com/ for the driver to review. During the warning period, drivers will receive a notice of infraction; however, “Warning” will be stamped across the violation and no fines will be assessed.
One of the most important goals of DuPont’s photo enforcement program is saving lives and protecting our most vulnerable population in school zones, our children. Accidents from speeding in school zones and red- light running are preventable. “We want DuPont to be a zero traffic fatality city, with no fatalities from speeding in school zones and running red lights,” said DuPont’s Chief of Police Doug Newman.
Good for you Dupont !!
We only wish you had extended the Speed Limit Cameras along the ENTIRE length of ALL arterials, operating 24-hours-a-day, to catch ALL OF THOSE NON-CONCERNED, NE’R-DO-WELL/SCOFF-LAW PEOPLE that like to ignore Speed Limits and other Traffic Laws.
I have been driving since 1964 (including 20 years in the US Army) and have had the occasion to drive in nearly every state in the Union, including Hawaii & Alaska. I have also driven in 6 European countries, as well as Vietnam. I have extensive experience driving all sorts of vehicles domestic & foreign (i.e., trucks, vans, passenger [large & small] ), as well as military transport (i.e., ¼ – 2.5 ton) and combat vehicles (i.e., tanks & Armored Personal Carriers….even a WWII German Jagdpanzer 38T Hetzer).
And, over these 59 years, the ONLY tickets I have ever gotten was for a parking violation (3)…….my wife, NONE.
As far as accidents, there have been 4, and the OTHER driver was at fault in ALL instances…..one of them included a guy who drove his Mercedes Benz BACKWARDS at 30-40 MPM into the front of our Honda Accord at the intersection of Steilacoom Blvd & Lakewood Drive, SW. Oh yeah, the light was RED for that driver
Why so few tickets & accidents? Because we BOTH learned early-on that in order to be safe and protect others, you have to follow traffic laws and always drive defensively, i.e, watch out for the other driver at all times.
Unfortunately, especially in the past 10 years, or so, we have seen our streets and hi-ways turn into absolute bedlam.
Red Lights, Stop Signs, Yield Signs ? Ignored !!! Turn signals? Rarely !!
No-Passing Zones….in LAKEWOOD, ALONE, we have been passed MULTIPLE TIMES in well-marked No-Passing Zones, including twice on the Interlakken bridge. And, even by people using the turn (more aptly named “suicide”) lane as a passing lane !!
And the speeds that people are driving is absolutely LUDICROUS, nay, PREPOSEROUS!!!! The freeways are like driving on a race track ! And, it ain’t much better in towns. Would you believe we had a week-long speed study done on Lake Louise Drive (Speed Limit = 25 MPH) where we had results for SPEEDS IN EXCESS of:
• 35 MPH: 1,062
• 35-49.9 MPH: 1,927
• 50-89.9 MPH: 35
• 90+ MPH: 5…..YES…..FIVE !!
Oh yeah, the study was done AFTER the city installed Speed Radar Signs….one direction only, mind you. And did the city do anything? ….NOT !
What we need is a City of Lakewood & Police Department effort to to do whatever is necessary to make ALL OF OUR CITY STREETS, including Lake Louise Drive, into what should be a nice, safe place for people of ALL ages to walk and drive.
And as far as Lake Louise Drive is concerned that would HAVE to include providing safe passage for ALL STUDENTS, their Parents, and School Staff, to-and-from the 5 (YES, that’s F I V E) schools which surround Lake Louise (i.e., Lake Louise Elementrary, Dr Claudia Thomas Middle School, Lakewood Presbyterian School, Lakes High School, & Pierce College !!!). What we have here, in this microcosm of Lakewood, is a potential, and unnecessary or potential major injury/death nightmare. Be advised….by some miracle no one person has been hit nor injured in our neighborhood……..YET, but a L O T OF CLOSE CALLS !!
FYI…in the 35+ years we have been living on Lake Louise Drive we have observed AT LEAST ONE INCIDENT PER YEAR where someone has lost control of their vehicle and:
• damaged our property (e.g., tearing up the lawn);
• destroying plants, bushes, & yard lights; and
• scaring the hell out of us while working in the yard.
Around Lake Louise Drive we have observed at least 4 really bad accidents where people have left the road and wound up in a ditch and/or severely damaged property…there was one incident where the vehicle came within a few feet of driving into the kitchen of a home.
Therefore, we are VERY much in favor of what DUPONT is doing, and we would like to see MORE, not only in your city, but ALL OVER THE STATE OF WA.
You know, we had a traffic emphasis patrol in Lakewood recently where several Police Departments helped. Does ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE RESULTS OF THAT EFFORT WERE? We sure don’t.
Heck, we even invited some of those traffic officers to our neighborhood thru the Subruban Times in the article announcing that effort. We guaranteed they would find Lake Louise Drive to be a “happy hunting ground”, particularly at lunch and commute times.
RESULT…..as far as we know, anywhere in Lakewood….NA DA!
What we are looking for is for WA State, our county, and city to become a pleasant, quiet place to drive and walk. FAT CHANCE the way things are going….but Dupont is headed in the right direction.