Safer roads start with drivers following the speed limits. | PHOTO: VALMEDIA/ADOBE STOCK. ILLUSTRATIONS: FLATVECTORS/ADOBE STOCK

Speed Deterrents Equal Safer Roads

Obeying speed limits improves road safety, and governments are taking steps to make roads safer for everyone.

By Lisa Gordon

Speed through an intersection in Winnipeg and you could get a ticket in the mail, courtesy of one of the city’s 49 designated traffic camera sites. Drive too quickly through a construction zone and you could get nabbed by one of 10 mobile speed enforcement cameras.

The message is simple, according to the Winnipeg Police: Just slow down.

Aside from photo enforcement, the City of Winnipeg employs a number of other traffic-calming measures designed to encourage safe driving. These options include speed bumps or speed humps, raised crosswalks and curbs, roundabouts, targeted enforcement and high-visibility signage. As well, Winnipeg is pursuing a reduction of the default residential speed limit from 50 km/h to 40 km/h; however, as of spring 2026, this has not been finalized. According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), travelling even 10 km/h over the speed limit increases the likelihood of a collision by 60 percent, so there’s good reason to stop speeding.

Slow Down, Move Over

It’s the law — and an important way to protect roadside workers and first responders. Remember to slow down, and when safe to do so, move into the next lane to give them more space from passing traffic.

Illustration: a temporary curb bump-out.

Physical traffic-calming measures

What is the difference between speed bumps and humps?

Speed humps and speed bumps are commonly used to slow traffic in residential areas. Speed humps are raised mounds of asphalt installed across the full width of a road and are designed to encourage a consistent speed of about 30 km/h. Speed bumps are shorter and sharper raised areas that are found in lower-speed environments, such as parking lots and laneways.

Winnipeg’s traffic-calming curbs

While effective, these types of permanent measures can also be costly and slow to implement. When a faster remedy is needed, Winnipeg’s traffic-calming quick-build program offers specially designed temporary curbs. These change the roadway layout to slow vehicles and improve safety for all users. They can be installed quickly, creating a temporary solution until the city has the budget to build permanent traffic-calming measures.

Illustration: A car signals as it enters a roundabout.

Roundabouts

Another popular initiative is the roundabout — a circular intersection where traffic flows counter-clockwise around a central island.

Are roundabouts better for traffic flow?

Used across Manitoba roadways, roundabouts slow traffic while improving flow at the same time. Driving in a roundabout offers several key safety benefits, including fewer conflicts between vehicles, less severe collisions and less traffic fatalities than a traditional four-way-stop intersection, according to TIRF. As well, roundabouts are more environmentally friendly because they reduce stops-and-starts, and the cost of operation is less compared to traditional signalled intersections.

What is the correct way to use a roundabout?

The City of Winnipeg has published rules for driving in a roundabout on its website, which instruct drivers to to enter via the lane that is signed for their exit, making sure to slow down and look for pedestrians where they cross, ahead of the yield line. Drivers should look left, yield to traffic already in the roundabout and enter when safe. Drivers are reminded to keep moving while driving in a roundabout — stop only to avoid a collision. Drivers need to stay aware and share the road with cyclists who may be present in the roundabout.

Illustration: a radar speed sign reads "YOUR SPEED 36."

Other speed deterrents

Additional safety-related measures to slow traffic include radar speed signs and other high-visibility signage, as well as increased police enforcement in targeted zones.

Slower driving is safer driving. Posted speed limits are determined by traffic engineers who consider important factors, including road design, pedestrian usage, hazard reduction and collision rates.

The most effective traffic-calming method, however, is within the control of every driver. Simply easing up on the accelerator and obeying the speed limit goes a long way toward a safer journey for everyone on the road. CAA