Soaring gas prices are having a detrimental effect on businesses and operations across all economic sectors, including the public sector and law enforcement. Police departments rely heavily on fleet vehicles to perform many critical aspects of protecting the communities they serve. The problem of rising fuel costs is forcing police departments to find new strategies for coping with the situation.
FEWER POLICE PATROLS LEADS TO MORE SPEEDING
While some departments are requesting additional funding to increase their fleet gas budgets, others are cutting back on in-person responses to non-emergency calls or situations that are not in progress. In many cases, departments are not able to send as many offices out to enforce traffic laws, including speed limits. While individual speed limit violations may not constitute an emergency situation, collectively, speeding is becoming a larger and more dangerous problem.
According to the National Safety Council, “speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2020, killing 11,258, or an average of over 30 people per day.” In 2020, speed related fatalities increased 17% from 2019, with speeding deaths now representing 29% of all driving deaths.
RADAR TECHNOLOGIES EXTEND POLICING CAPABILITIES
Many police departments get frequent calls about a particular road or area where a lot of speeding occurs. Concerned residents in the area need their police departments to quickly enact measures to resolve the issue.
While it may not be practical or possible to station officers in these areas, a portable RADAR speed display can be installed on a pole or street light. These devices serve as a speed limit reminder for all who drive through the area. Kustom Signals’ PMD 10 & 12 are lightweight, highly visible, MUTCD compliant amber LED displays (available in10-inch or 12-inch characters) and will improve driver speed awareness. The durable and easy-to-install PMD 18 is highly visible and can be attached to almost any pole.
Speed RADAR trailers provide another great way for police departments to extend their presence in the community without having to send out patrol cars. Kustom Signals offers three options, SMART 12, SMART 18, and SMART 18 HP+ to meet specific application needs. SMART trailers also collect traffic statistics with the SMARTstat™ analysis software. The capture of data allows departments to deploy patrol officers more efficiently and effectively to deal with speed issues. Staying one step ahead of speeders with this data analysis technology means patrols can be sent out with confidence that the officer’s time and fuel budget will be well spent.
KUSTOM SIGNALS PRODUCTS ARE A FORCE MULTIPLIER
Generally speaking, Kustom Signals trailers and speed displays serve as a force multiplier and a great tool to supplement traffic enforcement needs in the face of rising gas costs. These tools allow police departments to expand their presence in the community and increase speed awareness. Request a quote to learn more about how we can help you enhance your department’s effectiveness while avoiding the impact of rising fuel costs.