Speed Bumps & Newton’s 3rd Law!

In the past month I’ve seen two costly mishaps on Cary Street near VCU. First, I witnessed a Tesla get rear-ended by a Prius at a newly-installed speed bump coming into campus before Harrison Street. The Tesla suddenly slammed the brakes because the driver saw the speed bump at the last-minute and the following Prius couldn’t stop in time. (The Tesla had minor damage, but the Prius looked like an empty PBR can at Frat House.)

This week I saw a Ram Van (student transport vehicle) hit a speed bump after crossing over Belvidere. The driver didn’t see the sign and drove over the bump at normal speed. The resulting jolt lifted the entire van off the ground and the exhaust system was broken off the back of the van. Thankfully the bus was empty and the driver seemed to be uninjured.

The speed bumps that recently appeared near VCU were presumably installed to reduce the incidents of pedestrian injuries. And by pedestrians, I mean VCU students looking at cell phones instead of oncoming traffic. But the solution — speed bumps — have now caused other problems.

Whether it’s a law or rule or policy or procedural change, it’s REALLY important to think about how it affects everyone involved. Newton’s 3rd Law simply stated “that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” You install speed bumps as a safety measure, but it has the opposite effect. 

The speed bumps were installed with good intentions – reducing car vs student incidents. But the folks behind those good intentions didn’t think through all of the “equal and opposite reactions”, such as increase in car and motorcycle accidents, damage to suspension systems, and slower access times by first responders. Yes, police, fire and EMS response times are significantly reduced when they have to slow down for speed bumps.

Increased signage, painted crosswalks, educational programs for students and enforcement of speed limits by Richmond and VCU Police could have been combined to fix the issue with less negative impact. But that solution requires more work and coordination, so “screw it…let’s just pay to have some speed bumps installed.”

The lesson? At your business, before you make a new rule, policy or procedure, really think about all of the consequences. Explore every option before adding another rule. Whether it’s in the office or in your community, oftentimes the solution isn’t making a new law or rule, it’s just enforcing the existing ones. #foodforthought