For the past few weeks, we’ve been noticing a speed trap right down the block from our office. The fuzz sets up a motorcycle unit with a radar unit on it and snatches people as they drive down the 25mph street right outside our office downtown.
It’s a wide street, and most downtown streets are typically 30mph. But this one has residential units across from the other zones, so I’m guessing why it’s such a honeypot for catching speeders. Well, people going over 25. Not sure if I’d call that “speeding” per se.
So anyway. I got to thinking. First, I remembered an old story I heard about some college kids in the mountains who got caught in a speed trap. After being released, the story goes on to explain that they drove back up the road and set up a sign that said, “Caution – Speed Trap Ahead!” They also set up a ways past the speed trap with a sign that said, “Donations.”
Now, I don’t know if that story is true or not, but after seeing the speed trap down the street from us for a third time in the past month, this story popped into my head again. What if our office made a big sign and warned drivers? Is it illegal to do so? What would happen, besides saving some people a bunch of money, time and effort? It would likely piss the police off.
Then I had an extension of the idea that could possibly help alleviate some of the concerns over police retribution.
What if a charitable or helpful organization set up the sign, and also set up the “donation” station past the speed trap? The first sign could say something like, “WARNING! SPEED TRAP AHEAD!” with smaller text like, “From your friends at The Omaha Children’s Shelter.) (I’m making the organization’s name up.)
Then, down the road, there could be a similar sign that says, “NOT CAUGHT SPEEDING? DONATIONS ACCEPTED.” This sign could have a more official call-out as to who the organization is that’s helping out.
A whole strategic effort could be made by various charitable organizations to take advantage of police speed traps in order to warn drivers and then collect donations. I’m sure that local attorneys across the nation could help determine what is within the law as far as warning drivers of traffic enforcement actions. Where it wouldn’t work, or be too much of a risk, the effort could be avoided. Where it could work, the local organizations would have a low-cost way to get their message out and raise some additional funds at the same time. The added benefit would be that traffic would be slowed down and the message of driving an appropriate speed would still be reinforced.