Drivers may notice a new device on some Pierce County roads this summer.
Four SmartSigns have been placed in cities including Puyallup, Sumner, Orting, Eatonville, Tacoma and Lakewood. The signs provide real-time feedback to motorists in an effort to deter them from unsafe driving practices.
The signs can detect if drivers are distracted, wearing seat belts or speeding. They use a specially designed sensor based on microwave and infrared waves, according to a news release from the Pierce County Target Zero Traffic Safety Taskforce.
If a driver is not wearing a seat belt, the signs will show a message such as "BUCKLE UP." If a driver is on their phone, the signs will say something such as "PHONE DOWN." The signs will say "SLOW DOWN" if a driver is speeding.
Donna Kelly, Pierce County Target Zero manager, told The News Tribune that the signs do not collect information such as a vehicle's license plate number or the driver's face.
The signs are an "educational tool" and do not have the option or functionality for enforcement purposes, according to the news release.
The signs were installed in mid-May. They will rotate through eight locations within six cities in Pierce County. They will remain at each location for four to six weeks at a time until Aug. 1, according to the news release.
This is the first time the signs are being used in Pierce County. They are part of a campaign that encourages safe and focused driving. Last year about 500 people were seriously injured or killed in traffic collisions in Pierce County, according to the news release.
The signs are funded by a grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association and General Motors, Janine Koffel told The News Tribune. Koffel is a program manager for distracted driving at the state Traffic Safety Commission.
The county's Target Zero Traffic Safety Taskforce is working with the state Traffic Safety Commission and SaferStreet Solutions for this pilot program.
SaferStreet Solutions is a company that focuses on reducing distracted driving and speeding as well as increasing seat belt use. The company is based in Rochester, New York, according to the company's LinkedIn page.
"Each time a driver passes a SmartSign, it reminds them to drive safely, and that can make a real difference in their behavior," Tim Hogan, founder of SaferStreet Solutions, said in the news release.
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