Speeders beware: New radar trailer will watch your speed

• Speed trailer

Echo Press photo by Jo Colvin Brandon Chaffins, Douglas County Sheriff's Office (left) and Scott Kent, Alexandria Police Department, who are members of the Safe Communities Coalition, unveiled a new radar speed sign.

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Drivers in Douglas County will now have a reminder to drive within the speed limit.

The Douglas County Safe Communities Coalition, which includes Douglas County Public Health, Douglas County Public Works, Alexandria Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, North Ambulance, Alexandria Technical College and community leaders, purchased a radar speed trailer. The trailer was unveiled at a press conference on Monday and will be put into use by the end of the week.

Radar speed trailers display vehicle speed as motorists approach. The purpose is to slow cars down by alerting motorists how fast they are driving.

According to the coalition, speeding is a significant public safety problem in Douglas County. Speeding-related crashes accounted for 25 percent of all fatalities and serious injuries in the county from 2005 to 2007.

The radar trailer will be used by local law enforcement, the coalition, schools and other agencies on an ongoing basis to address locations that have been identified as high speed areas. The immediate effect of placing the speed trailer around the county is to increase safety and compliance with the speed limit and decrease traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.

“I think it will have a great impact on speed,” said Dave Robley, Douglas County engineer Public Works director. “It gets your attention and reminds drivers what the posted speed is.”

Brandon Chaffins of the sheriff’s office agrees.

“The dilemma that law enforcement has is staff,” he said. “We get a lot of complaints about speeding in certain areas. This will help us put that ‘person,’ so to speak, there and will have an immediate impact. I think people will respond to it.”

The trailer will be moved around the county as necessary, based on input from law enforcement, the coalition and Douglas County residents. It will also be used at community events to help control speed and make the roads safer.

The radar trailer was purchased with $6,000 in donations from local businesses and grants. This is the first locally owned radar speed trailer in the county.

“This group [the coalition] put a lot of focus on this project to make it happen,” Chaffins concluded. “The community rallied around us. It speaks volumes for what the community thinks of traffic violations.”

Tags: local news, douglas county, safe communities coalition, news, alexandria, speed, sheriff, police, speeding, traffic, safety