The city of Carrollton is in the process of generating support for a campaign to get motorists to slow down and obey the speed limit.

“The biggest complaint that I get on a day-to-day basis is speeding in Carrollton. I deal with that more than anything else,” said City Manager Casey Coleman. “Our police department is out there everyday to try and slow people down, and now we’re trying to highly publicize this thing and reeducate our citizens because the only way to truly slow down traffic is for each and every one of us to do it ourselves.”

The campaign, the details of which are still being banged out, will likely begin within the next several weeks, Coleman said. Its prime goal, he said, is to show people not just that speeding violates the law but that it also jeopardizes the lives of those who are biking or walking near the road.

“All roads are posted on what’s considered a safe speed limit. What it says is that the speed limit has been determined for that road based on pedestrian traffic and stop times, among other things, and when you exceed a posted speed limit, there’s a greater chance of someone having a wreck,” he said. “There are compelling reasons not to speed. We’ve all seen bad wrecks and most involve excessive speed. That makes them avoidable.”

The city will distribute bumper stickers, signs and brochures to help educate the public about the dangers of driving faster than the speed limit and help other drivers who see the stickers or the signs remember that they need to slow down.

It’s important to address, Coleman said, because it’s the most common violation of the law that occurs on a daily basis, and most people don’t even realize they’re letting the speedometer rise as high as they are.

“Every one of us speeds on a regular basis, and we don’t even realize it,” he said. “We all need to pay more attention.”

Carrollton Police Chief Joel Richards said it hasn’t been decided what parts of town will receive the most work as part of the campaign, but there are areas, like South Street and Longview Street near the Carrollton downtown, that see speeders who pay little regard to the posted speed limit or that there are often children playing in nearby yards.

Although traffic fatalities are the number one killer of teenagers in America, Richards said, the campaign will not single out one particular group over another, instead hoping to make an impact on drivers of all ages.

He said his department receives daily complaints from residents who are concerned about speeders in their community, but there’s simply no way to make a citywide impact doling out tickets one at a time while most offenders go unpunished.

Ideally, the campaign will mirror the previous “Save a Life, Stop on Red” effort from several years ago in terms of success, Richards said, as the city will be able to monitor whether residents have actually slowed down in the months following the conclusion of the campaign.

“It’s gotten out of hand, I think. I don’t know if people know how fast they’re driving,” Richards said. “Hopefully, this campaign will work for us. I want people to put our radars out of business.”