Stepped up enforcement may be encouraging more local drivers to slow down and drive more safely.

There is no better way to make driving in Lawrence safer than to find a way to make people obey the traffic laws. There’s probably no better way to accomplish that goal than to make local drivers believe that if they don’t obey the laws, there’s a good chance they will get caught.

That’s why, even if you’re one of those people who has a tendency to drive a little too fast, it’s good news that the number of speeding tickets issued in Lawrence rose by 47 percent last year after Lawrence police stepped up their enforcement of traffic laws.

It also should be no surprise that there has been a corresponding decrease in the number of accidents in the city since the Lawrence Police Department created a new traffic unit in March 2003. There was a 22 percent decline in injury accidents and a 25 percent decline in noninjury accidents for 2003 when the new unit was just getting off the ground. Figures aren’t available yet for 2004, but it seems likely that the accident rates will be comparable or even lower.

According to a new report from Lawrence Municipal Court, the number of speeding citations in the city jumped from 6,270 in 2003 to 9,215 in 2004. That increase is directly attributable to the addition of the new seven-officer traffic unit focused primarily on watching for traffic offenses.

So if you’ve been thinking you see more radar guns out there these days, you’re right. The increased enforcement isn’t an attempt to be punitive; it’s an effort to make people obey the law. Even if you aren’t speeding, the sight of an officer aiming a radar gun at you is likely to make you at least check the speedometer and see how fast you’re traveling.

The Municipal Court report also tracked several other categories of offenses. Increased enforcement in a couple of those areas also could have a significant impact on traffic safety in the city. The number of tickets for drivers running a red light rose by 5 percent in 2004, a surprisingly low number considering how many drivers push this envelope.

And citations for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol actually declined by 5 percent. We’d like to think that meant fewer people were drinking and driving but a couple of fatal accidents on West Sixth Street offer evidence to the contrary. It would be interesting to know what percentage of traffic accidents in the city continue to involve alcohol consumption.

City Manager Mike Wildgen estimates the city will need $450,000 to continue funding the special traffic unit, and is recommending the item be included in the city’s budget. If city commissioners are having trouble finding that amount, they might consider earmarking some of the money collected in fines or redirecting some of the money they currently are spending on “traffic-calming” structures. A few more officers wielding radar guns at key locations could go a long way toward reducing the need for those circles.