SPRINGVILLE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - When you get caught doing something wrong, do you pass the buck onto someone else? What happens when you get pulled over for speeding? In this week's Speed Zapper, ABC 4's Brian Carlson found a driver who feels concerned parents in Springville are simply overreacting.
If you come to 400 S. in Springville in the morning you're sure to see two things - a lot of cars and lot of kids. Jennifer Grigg, who lives nearby, tells ABC 4 - the two don't mix.
“I hear an ambulance and I always think of the crosswalk, said Jennifer Grigg, Springville resident.
She’s worried speeders coming down the hill, won't slow down, and kids who walk to Brookside Elementary will get hit.
“I've known two kids that have been hit in the crosswalks since we've lived here and I worry that it's one of my kids,” said Grigg.
So ABC 4 took action with Springville police to stop speeders whizzing through the school zone.
We found when the lights were on drivers were fine, but once they were off, speeders came flying by. We zapped one driver going 10 mph over the 35 mph limit.
“I didn't even notice that I was going 45 mph,” said the speeder.
Although he agrees he should obey the law, he said parents who emailed us are overreacting.
“I think it's a bit more hypersensitive because it's a school zone, you know what I mean?” said the speeder.
“Do you think they're overreacting a little bit?” asked ABC 4's Brian Carlson.
“I think you'll have that same reaction with every school zone with every parent,” the speeder said.
So we asked him this -
“Do you think you could stop in time if one of those kids were to dart out in the middle of the street?”
“Yeah, I mean, it depends on how attentive you are also,” said the speeder.
“What about you personally?” asked Carlson.
“In this case today, I mean, I was very attentive, I wasn't on my phone, I wasn't...” said the speeder.
“Just not paying attention to the speed limit?” Carlson asked.
“Yeah,” the speeder said.
For our worried mom, she hopes next time, drivers don't forget to pay attention, when kids are too excited to notice.
“They'll just risk their lives to cross the street,” said Grigg.
If you need Brian to zap speeders in your neighborhood, let Brian know about it. Just go to the Speed Zapper section of abc4.com. Tell him about the problem. And he’ll zap ‘em.
