SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Distracted drivers and fast speeds, they're both a problem on a street in South Jordan. ABC 4 found police are not only working to help worried neighbors, they live there too.
“People come around that corner and they just book it,” said Michael Gainer, South Jordan resident.
Gainer said he's worried about distracted speeders on his street in South Jordan.
“People just seem to speed up, they don't pay attention,” he said.
Gainer lives on Yorkshire Drive, the same street as Officer Patrick Dempsey with South Jordan police.
"It's part of my neighborhood. It's my home," said Officer Dempsey.
Dempsey said he's familiar with the speeders, some are his neighbors.
“They're very apologetic and they know, and I usually hold it against them at some Christmas parties later,” said Dempsey.
But when the Speed Zapper's in town, it's no party.
“We thought we were going 30, 32,” said one speeder.
“We zapped you going 36 right there,” Reporter Brian Carlson replied.
Much like the drivers our worried neighbor is concerned about, this particular speeder said she knows the speed limit is 25 mph, but she got distracted.
“Why were you going so fast?” Carlson asked.
“We weren't in any hurry; just going to school, I mean we have plenty of time to get to school. It was just, we were talking,” the speeder said.
“Just not paying attention?” Carlson asked.
“Yah,” she said.
“It's our responsibility as parents as neighbors to help try and keep this in control,” Gainer said.
And our distracted speeder recognizes it starts with her.
"What about you? Do you need to be aware?” asked Carlson.
“Oh yah, I need to be, everybody needs to be just aware, because kids are on this road,” the speeder said.
And that attitude to be alert is exactly what our live-in cop wishes more of his neighbors would pick up.
“If they pay attention to the speed limit and more importantly the speed of their vehicle, the chances of them being injured and property damage or somebody else being injured would reduce greatly,” said Dempsey.
That's all our worried neighbor is hoping for.
