An estimated 40,000 vehicles travel along Southfield Road daily. Traveling at excessive speeds has been consistently linked to crash risk. The communities of Southfield, Lathrup Village and Beverly Hills have decided to be proactive and work together on a three month pilot project: Southfield Road Safety & Speed Enforcement Program to reduce crashes and improve safety.

The project, which begins the week of December 16, 2019, covers the 5-Mile Stretch of Southfield Road – between 9 Mile and 14 Mile Roads. The shared goal is to reduce the incidence of speeding and speed-related crashes.

City of Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren noted, “The main focus of this program is to improve safety. The probability of severe injury increases with the impact speed of the colliding vehicle. Also, crashes congest the roadways and result in economic losses.”

Chief Scott McKee from the Lathrup Village Police Department stated, “Crash data from 2018 and 2019 shows that there is an increase in incidents between October and March.” The speed limit between Lincoln (10-1/2 Mile) and 12 Mile Road is 45 miles per hour. Chief McKee added, “This seemed like a good timeframe to kickoff this pilot project.”

Lee Peddie, Village President from Beverly Hills, agreed that enforcement along a broader stretch of Southfield Road that included all 3 communities made sense. President Peddie said, “The costs of crashes include lost productivity, medical costs, legal and court costs, emergency service costs, insurance administration costs, travel delay, property damage, and workplace losses.”

The 3-month project is scheduled to begin in December 2019 and go through the end of March 2020. The communities want motorist to be advised of the increased enforcement of the speed limits in this area, as part of a coordinated effort to improve safety, improve travel efficiency, and reduce congestion.