Traffic Safety

The Department of Public Safety is very concerned with traffic safety in our community. Traffic crashes causes many serious injuries and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage every year. Crashes also costs us by increased medical costs, lost wages, and the cost of emergency services response. It is easy to understand then why traffic enforcement is always a priority for police. Years of experience and multiple traffic safety studies show that traffic enforcement and education is the best way to lower crash rates.

The Department is actively involved in the local driver’s education program offered at Big Rapids High School. A mandatory meeting is held every spring with parents of students who will be taking Driver’s Education. At the meeting, the Michigan graduated license program is explained to the parents along with the parents’ role and responsibilities in the Driver’s Education program. The goal is to make sure that young people are well prepared to drive a car before they take the wheel alone. Traffic crashes are the #1 killer of people between the age of 16 and 20 so addressing this issue should be a priority for all of us.

The Department maintains a radar trailer as part of our effort to gain voluntary compliance with speed limits throughout the City. The trailer is easily moved throughout the City and can be placed on almost any street. Once set up, it records the speed of approaching vehicles and displays that speed for the driver to see. The hope is that when drivers see they are exceeding the speed limit they will not only slow down but they will pay closer attention to their speed as they continue on their way. The trailer is equipped to record basic speed and volume of traffic data also which provides the Department with valuable information used in planning enforcement efforts and making decisions on traffic engineering.

Face it, no one likes to get a traffic ticket but enforcement is an important part of an overall traffic safety program. As enforcement goes up, the rate of traffic crashes will go down. With that in mind, the Department tries to target the areas that have the highest traffic crash rates using both innovative approaches such as motorcycle patrol and laser speed measuring and traditional patrols and radar. The Department does however respond to complaints regarding traffic anywhere within the City and so you may well see an officer using radar on a residential street.

If you have a concern regarding traffic in your neighborhood, you may contact the Department at 527-0005 or at police@ci.big-rapids.mi.us