As our population continues to grow, we will face many challenges. One that seems to present itself before our very eyes is traffic volume and speed. Often times, drivers have found relief from traffic congestion in residential streets. Likewise, the issue of parking has become a competition fought in many parking lots. Only two decades ago one tended to see the distant spaces in a parking lot sitting vacant. Now one commonly sees cars circling lots like vultures, waiting for someone to leave a space. Once this space is spotted, it is a race to see who gets there first.

A seemingly quick and inexpensive solution to these growing concerns is speed bumps. Municipalities promote them because they appear to be an inexpensive quick fix to a big problem. However the community is unaware of their hazards or any other viable solutions to a traffic problem. So, when they recognize a traffic problem, one of the first solutions presented is the speed bump.

In 2001 the Center for Disease Control noted that 15,019 Americans died from accidents related to falls, and falls were the No.1 cause of death for the elderly population. One significant source of falls is speed bumps. Common injuries associated with speed bumps include broken hips and kneecaps and shattered wrists.

For the elderly, falls can be catastrophic. As we age, our vision slowly deteriorates. This includes direct frontal and peripheral vision, depth perception, color discrimination and glare filtration. Hence, many elderly people do not interpret a speed bump until it is too late. I personally know of three older women who, in the past five years, have broken their wrists trying to protect themselves as they tripped over a speed bump in the parking lot of a popular department store.

The issue with speed bumps is their gradual incline and monochromatic surface. This, combined with glare and various distractions (monitoring cars backing up carelessly, conversations with others, advertising on the sidewalks, etc), creates the ideal situation for an accident. While the gradual incline is enough to distort depth perception, the monochromatic appearance makes them all but invisible to many people. This is a problem not only for the elderly. Excited children running in neighborhoods or in parking lots do not perceive the height difference and hence fail to lift their feet high enough over the bump. The result is a trip hazard that can cause concussions, fractured bones and teeth, contusions, abrasions, etc. A solution might be at least to paint all speed bumps in yellow or yellow stripes.

Perhaps the most significant issue with speed bumps is their lack of conformance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which guarantees people with disabilities equal access to places of public accommodation. Clearly, mobility is key with regard to accommodation. Impairments to one’s mobility can result from age, disease, genetics, injury or amputation.

However, not all disabled people are wheelchair-bound. According to Gray, Gould, and Bickenbach (2003), 14.2 million Americans use mobility aids or assistive devices, which include artificial limbs, walkers, crutches and canes. All of these devices become severely compromised when presented with speed bumps. First, there are no flat surfaces on which to securely rest a walker or crutches. Second, devices such as artificial legs need to be swung forward from the hip, and the incline of a speed bump will prevent the limb from swinging into a stable position. Third, this incline requires the assistive device to be lifted higher than usual while still maintaining balance. However, many of these people likely lack the strength, balance or depth perception to navigate the bump effectively.

Another group compromised by speed bumps are blind people with Seeing Eye dogs. Most animals do not visually perceive depth and color as humans, and cannot tell the blind person to lift his or her leg higher because of a speed bump. A fall for an unprepared person due to unknown surroundings can result in all sorts of injuries.

Speed bumps are often seen as the Holy Grail of traffic problems, but they are not the solution many make them out to be; rather, an accident waiting to happen. Municipalities have many options available for traffic calming in residential areas, e.g. traffic circles. Owners of parking lots could provide raised walkways in front spaces for pedestrians to get to and from their cars safely. However these solutions are expensive, both in implementation and, in the case of parking lots, space. In a humane world we would be looking to these solutions for our traffic problems and to protect our citizens, but in a world where the bottom line matters most, we put our fellow citizens in harm’s way and simply hope for the best.

Published: August 5, 2004

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David Alan Kopec "DAK" has a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology with a concentration in perception and design and two master's degrees, one in Architecture and another in Community Psychology. He also has a bachelor's degree in community/public health, is certified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), a member of Interior Design Education Council (IDEC), and studied the practice and principles of Feng Shui in China. Among DAK's most notable accomplishments include the completion of the first textbook on environmental psychology for design, published by Fairchild Books, which won ASID's 2006 Joel Polsky Prize. He has also authored two monographs; the first analyzes the Americans with Disabilities Act along with the common issues faced by an elderly population, published by ASID. The second monograph discusses the design of long-term care facilities in a multicultural society. This is being published by NCIDQ. Currently DAK is working on a second textbook that analyzes health, sustainability and design. Fairchild Books will release this book in the Spring of 2008. Also, DAK is a 2006 award recipient from Rebuilding Together San Diego. DAK is an Associate Professor of Design at the Newschool of Architecture and Design. In addition, DAK has a private practice, provides consulting services and educational lectures at events such as Neo-Con World’s Trade Fair in Chicago, the annual leadership conference for the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), and dozens of physician conferences and meetings.