It’s easy enough to do and not even realize it.

Driving down an open road, perhaps with a favorite song blaring through the speakers, the heart starts pumping a little faster. The speedometer starts creeping up, inching further away from the posted speed limit.

Then, in the rear-view mirror, the red and blue lights flash.

In that instant, a number of thoughts flash: How fast am I going? Are they coming for me? What excuse will I give the patrolman or officer when they appear at my window?

It’s also not uncommon to feel anger at the situation: I wasn’t going that fast. Don’t they have other things to worry about than someone driving a little fast?

Speeding is not a problem unique to Butler County, but certainly one that has an impact on drivers on the county’s major roads.

According to information from the state’s Department of Transportation, the county saw 17 fatal vehicle accidents in 2017 and 703 injuries. That contributes to a statewide figure of 1,137 people who were killed in an accident that year.

With major thruways such as Interstate 79, Routes 422 and 228 as well as a major Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange, speeding is a common issue for law enforcement here. It’s also an issue in rural parts of the county, where patrols are less frequent and speeds can climb on open roads.

A bill being considered in Harrisburg aims to give law enforcement the ability to use radar and light detection and ranging equipment to enforce speed limits. Senate Bill 607 would allow these measures to be used to issue citations. The Senate approved the bill last month, although no action has been taken in the House.

According to local law enforcement officials, it is long overdue that police should be able to have such tools in their tool belts when trying to keep roads safe. After all, their main focus is keeping their communities safe.

However, there is undoubtedly potential backlash that goes along with approving such options. Many may feel that police departments will use radar or LIDAR to generate revenue.

That includes state Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, who sits on the state Senate transportation committee. However, he said unlike past versions of the bill, the version being considered puts a “revenue limit” that stipulates municipalities can’t exceed revenue generation of 20 percent of their operating budgets.

That stipulation does more than provide assurance to lawmakers. It goes a long way in eliminating the stigma that traffic citations are used only for revenue generation, which local law enforcement adamantly denies.

As Cranberry Township Police Chief Kevin Meyer put it, the goal of his officers is to keep citizens safe, educate the public and generate healthy traffic flow.

We commend the authors of the bill for helping to dispel — perhaps unknowingly — the misinformation that law enforcement agencies use traffic citations to make money. We hope the House will take action on the matter and give police an additional way to keep roads safe.