Sign News

Police in Greer, South Carolina are using electronic traffic signs to help slow down drivers, according to a recent article.

The two new electronic traffic signs use a radar system to track the speeds of approaching cars and display their speeds onscreen, the Herald-Journal reported. When cars drive more than five miles per hour above the speed limit, the sign displays a message: "Please slow down." When cars are moving more than 15 miles per hour above the speed limit, the sign flashes blue and red lights along with the message.

"A lot of people don't pay attention to their speed," Greer police chief Dan Reynolds told the newspaper. "This wakes them up, and most people slow down. If they don't, we'll get them. We may be in the vicinity somewhere around that area."

Police officers place the signs in commercial and residential areas with a high number of resident complaints, as well as in areas where police have identified safety hazards, the article noted.

Traffic signs are one important way municipal and state police departments encourage responsible driving. Signs allow governments to clearly communicate traffic laws, and to provide safety reminders in areas where drivers are most at risk.