Emergency Vehicles

• One of the most serious consequences of speed bumps are their effect on emergency vehicles. Several townships in the U.S. have pursued action against the construction of new speed bumps for this very reason. Ambulances and police cars are required to move quickly to help save lives. Speed bumps, by their very design, act in opposition to this. This can often result in slower response times and damage to the shocks and undercarriages of emergency vehicles forced to travel over bumps at elevated speeds.
  
  

Parking Lots

• Perhaps the most perilous area to encounter a speed bump is also the most innocuous. Parking lots often features bumps that are far steeper than those encountered on roadways. For cars with low-riding undercarriages, this can be especially damaging, as there is no real way to avoid scraping one's car while passing over them. What's more, bumps located in private car parks often lack markings to indicate their presence, making them especially hazardous at night.
  
  

Cyclists

• Along with emergency vehicles, those who drive motorcycles and bicycles are at the greatest risk of injury when encountering a speed bump. Lacking the protection of a car's interior while at the same time possessing a higher center of gravity, cyclists are far more likely to experience accidents and collisions if they travel over a speed bump at a high rate of speed. What's more, many cities don't provide a seperate lane for those operating bicycles and motorcycles, making it nearly impossible for these riders to avoid speed bumps.
  
  

Solutions

• Certain cities and states have opted to do away with speed bumps altogether. The village of Englewood, Colorado, for example, refuses to use speed bumps on public streets. Still, other measures can be taken to ensure that existing speed bumps are safer. For example, the Office of Legislative research in Connecticut gives several examples of alternative speed bumps. One, the speed "table," consists of a longer raised area of concrete, which would create less damage to vehicle undercarriages and a less jarring "bump" to avoid drivers possibly losing control of their vehicles.