Sometimes the solution to a problem can be as simple as taking your foot off the gas.

That’s the thrust of Cranberry Township’s Slow Down Campaign running from June 5 through 19.

This year, the campaign will use radar speed signs and hundreds of yard signs in participating neighborhoods to remind drivers to follow the speed limits in the neighborhoods, as well as the township as a whole. Backing up the signs will be an increased police presence to add in the effort to get drivers to slow down.

The campaign is a reminder that simply slowing down can save lives, especially now that school is over for the summer and drivers will have to share neighborhood streets with increased numbers of bicycles, scooters and young drivers.

Numbers released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration support the notion that slowing down can save lives.

According to the NHTSA, in 2024, there were 11,228 fatalities in speeding-related accidents. Speeding-related crashes accounted for 29% of total traffic deaths in 2024.

Teen drivers, especially, should take the Slow Down campaign’s message to heart. According to the NHTSA figures, 39% of male drivers and 20% of female drivers in the 15-to-20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic accidents were speeding, the highest among all age groups.

However, as the Cranberry Township’s Slow Down campaign points out, operating a vehicle at a safe speed on the township’s roads is everyone’s responsibility.

— EF