Dad Illegally Puts Neighborhood Road Signs To Protect His Kids

A frustrated dad illegally puts road signs for speeding vehicles to protect the kids playing in his neighborhood.

Yahoo Parenting reports that Kurt Smith, a father of two kids, was living in Douglas County, Colorado, where cars are reported to run fast, sometimes at 50 mph. As such, he was worried about the safety of the children who use skateboards and scooters in the neighborhood.

According to WFAA, Smith said that he's sick of seeing these cars buzz speedily on the street, especially as kids play with their scooters and skateboards in and out the roadway.

He also said that he wanted to protect the kids, including his very own.

Eleven-year-old Andrew Tschetter said that this summer, he was almost hit by a vehicle, but still likes to play in the neighborhood.

"You don't have to worry about too many bad things happening, that's the only thing you may have to worry about, is cars speeding," he said.

Smith, being a worker in a sign company, installed two stop signs in front of his house that is just west of Park Meadows Mall at Altair Drive and Omega Circle.

"I put up some legal stop signs but illegally placed them," Smith explained to local news station WFAA.

The signs, however, didn't last for more than a day once the Douglas County Sheriff's deputy found out.

Prior to using the said stop signs, Smith used other signs that said "Slow down! Children at play." He eventually upgraded to legitimate stop signs.

Joey Herrera, a neighbor, said that the signs were quite effective, slowing down the people when they see them.

"They looked a little confused," he said.

Herrera added that he liked how the speeding drivers paid attention on Altair Drive.

"People flying up and down the street sometimes 50 miles an hour," he said.

Janette Fennell, founder and president of nonprofit safety group KidsAndCars, told Yahoo Parenting: "Drivers often have an 'It can't happen to me' mindset when speeding, and most people overestimate their driving skills."

She added that to help reduce residential car accidents, the key is awareness.

Smith knows that his act could actually get him into trouble, but said that this won't be the last of the stop signs if it could prevent accidents from happening.

"I guarantee it will be done again before next Saturday," he said.

Smith hasn't been charged with a crime yet, but officials said he could face a misdemeanor for disrupting the flow of transportation in the vicinity.