I've been seeing these signs popping in lawns all over central Connecticut over the last few weeks. Good timing, considering the nice weather, school's about to end for summer, and kids are outside playing much more than in wintertime. Although all year around, we should never forget to "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here" for the sake of all pedestrians and everyone else on the road too.
I checked online to see if I could discover anything about these signs or the organization or force behind them. It turns out that the signs are distributed by a company located in Wethersfield. Click here for their website, which explains their mission and the data behind it. The company sells the yard signs and auto decals, plus a couple other things with the same phrase.
I think that these signs are a great idea and I wish that there wasn't any need for them. I often think to myself, "See ya at the red light!" when aggressive drivers pass me for the apparent purpose of getting one car length farther up then they were before. On most roads through residential or commercial areas where there are traffic lights, the lights are going to have a much bigger impact on how long it takes you to get from Point A to Point B, much more than the guy driving in front of you who's going the speed limit, or 5 or 10 mph slower than you wish to be going. Chances are, you and Mr. Speed Limit driver are both going to arrive at the light at the same time. Everyone feels like they need to be in a hurry sometimes, but traffic to a large extent is out of our control, so there's no point in getting worked up when behind the wheel. Of course, in addition to the issue of speeding, the point of these signs is probably more along the lines of asking people not to use cell phones or do other distracting things while driving, and just to be more alert in general.
I know that for me, seeing these signs really made me think for a moment. I think that in order to remain effective the signs will need to periodically change to different slogans or colors, otherwise we might "become immune" to them and tune them out. In any case, it's a good sign.
Could we intersperse a few "Hang up and drive" signs? And "Please use your turn signal -- my Ouija board's broken."
ReplyDeleteJust saw a Blue Cadilac CTS drive past one of these signs up Prout Hill Rd from Milbrook floored the whole way. Thes cars are fast, could have been 60-70mph in a 25 zone. Way too fast to read plate. Amazed he didn't lose it and crash. If you live in this area of town, keep an out so we can report this schmuck.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping a watchful EYE Jim. It is that time of year again, when people are out walking and kids are playing in yards and chasing balls. Let's all be alert on the roads. Take a deep breath and don't be in a hurry!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great concept -- but can't we do it with better grammar? "Drive as if your kids live here" is the same number of letters, and doesn't convey the message that we're a city of illiterates.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Tree. There are two reasons why the sign can not be changed:
ReplyDelete1. "as if" has one more character than "like"
2. the website would no longer match
Bonus fact - the "word verification" for this post is zoomm.
I think a more effective sign might be "Drive like/as if your mother lives here".
ReplyDeleteFor those old enough to remember, the slogan "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" was vilified for poor grammar so they came back with "What do you want, good grammar or good taste".
I am in complete agreement with "Tree Fanatic." The word, like, is a preposition and not a conjunction, and so these signs promote bad grammar, which is especially troublesome since they are frequently posted near elementary schools. The company should offer an alternate sign, "Drive as if your children live here," even if it has an extra character.
ReplyDelete