Residential SpeedingIn many Delaware neighborhoods, excessive and reckless drivers endanger innocent children. Because of these negligent drivers, Delaware children are often hit by speeding cars. In fact, the Delaware Department of Transportation, or DELDOT, has compiled research showing that speeding in neighborhoods leads to large numbers of deaths and injuries. The Department of Transportation reports: “Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children of all ages from 2 to 14” (“Barnstorming Neighborhoods”). Incredibly, this explains that, of all the possible causes of a child's death, being hit by a car is the first most common cause. This clearly illustrates the scope of the neighborhood speeding problem, demonstrating that speeding is a hazard that contributes to many child deaths. Residential speeding is a widespread, serious, and long-standing problem throughout Delaware that deserves to be addressed. This term "residential speeding" refers to moving faster than the safe speed limit in a neighborhood or school zone, which in turn puts children at risk. . Increasing speed reduces the time children have to move away from an oncoming car. Furthermore, according to Wray Herbert, a psychologist who has studied why children are prone to being hit by cars, “Cars that move faster appear to loom less than cars that move slowly, creating a dangerous illusion that cars fast they don't come closer.... Children could not reliably detect an approaching car at speeds above 20 miles per hour” (Herbert). Faster cars seem to be further away in children's minds, so they don't register them as a threat. Therefore, they are less likely to react to a speeding car. ...... middle of paper ...... ng is an ongoing problem. Speeding in homes has been occurring since the 1960s and has not yet been adequately addressed. Obviously, considering the number of children hit by cars every year, this problem is still in full swing today. It impacts numerous children and their families throughout Delaware by increasing the risk of a child being hit by a car. It also increases the likelihood that an affected child will suffer a serious or fatal injury. Despite the innovative and effective speed control methods created by traffic engineers, speeding is still a problem as not enough neighborhoods have adopted the new speed control solutions. To combat this deadly and widespread problem, more neighborhoods across Delaware should begin using speed control methods such as speed bumps, medians and roundabouts..