Slow down to save

Every time Karla Kurtz sees one of her kids run toward the street, she says her heart stops.

“It’s scary. Very, very scary,” she said.

The mother of 2- and 4-year-old boys living on a quiet residential street near Killybrooke Elementary School in Costa Mesa sees the area come alive when the school bell rings and many children walk home. She also sees cars and trucks speed by on Londonderry Street a couple of hundred feet away, the only avenue to exit the neighborhood.

“Honestly, I think someone is going to get hurt over there. I can feel it in my heart,” said Irma Fisher, mother of three who lives across the street from Kurtz.

Costa Mesa police Officer Cristina Goodfellow shares their concern. Thursday, supported by the police department traffic bureau, Goodfellow and neighborhood parents put speeders on notice.

Goodfellow has brought to Costa Mesa the “Keep Kids Alive Drive 25” campaign, a national effort to have neighbors hold each other responsible for their driving habits.

A mother of three children, Goodfellow said the program is “very near to my heart, and I strongly believe that with awareness and commitment it can work. My message is simple and clear: Slow down, save a life.”

For the next week, drivers down Killarney Lane will probably find front lawns dotted with signs posting the speed limit and telling them to “keep kids alive.” They’ll also have their speed limit flashing big and bright for them to see thanks to a police radar trailer.

The fatality rate for pedestrians when a car is 20 mph is 5%, at 30 mph it jumps to 45%, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

After the neighborhood’s reminders have time to “absorb” in the community, police motorcycles will be in the area with radar guns in hand to make sure drivers have gotten the message, said Traffic Sgt. Victor Bakkila.

Any neighborhoods interested in participating in the campaign can contact Goodfellow through the Costa Mesa Police Department’s front desk Monday through Thursday at (714) 754-5281.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.