“Is That Legal?” — Man Creates a Fake Speed Bump to Get Neighbors to Slow Down
Published Aug. 17 2023, 5:51 p.m. ET
No matter how fun it seems on car chasing video games, we all know that speeding while driving can have dire consequences. In addition to many car accidents resulting in someone going too fast, receiving a ticket for speeding can set you back financially. And, in this economy, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” And I mean, nobody.
Because speeding can have severe results, it makes sense that construction workers worldwide have found one way to fix the ever-growing problem.
Speed bumps, a ridge created in the road’s surface to create a “bump” in a driver’s journey, have been a popular way to get people to slow down for years. Unfortunately, helpful warnings aren’t available on everyone’s street.
In June 2023, Rjones, who goes by @rjones117 on TikTok, tried to take his street’s safety into his own hands. However, once other users saw what he was doing, they questioned if he was actually the real problem.
A group of TikTokers made fake speed bumps in a road to get their neighbors to slow down.
Sometimes, you can’t wait for anyone else to fix the problem. On June 1, 2023, Rjones figured just as much and started the summer by convincing his residential neighborhood to slow down.
In the 20-second video, Rjones and his friends, who may or may not work in construction, recorded themselves wearing orange vests and white hard hats.
He began the video by giving the camera a thumbs-up and wrote on the video, “Making a fake speed bump to see if people slow down.”
Then, Rjones and his friends put orange cones in the middle of their neighborhood’s street and added a speed bump icon to suggest that they would be building a ridge in the ground soon.
Due to being unable to build a speed bump, Rjones painted a red line in the street to act as the bump. Once the paint dried, the TikToker kept recording as he watched that “people actually started to slow down.” And, sure enough, the cars riding past the street significantly slowed their cruise and drove a safer speed for a residential area.
The TikTok user received mixed reviews over the legality of what he and his friends did.
Although Rjones’s TikTok was less than one minute long, it significantly impacted those who watched it. While many commenters applauded his community service act, others, such as myself, wondered if the gesture was legal.
The last time I checked, you couldn’t “make” a speed bump or randomly paint one piece of the street you live on. I think you have to go through your street’s officials, who would then bring on a team to take care of creating a real speed bump.
However, I admittedly know nothing about the construction business. Nonetheless, my thoughts matched many of the comments Rjones received in his comments section.
“Bro just broke the law and posted it on Tik Tok,” one user commented.
“You can get fined so much for this 🤣,” another pointed out.
“Isn't that vandalism?” a third user asked, followed by admitting, “I’m not sure tho.”
While Rjones’s actions seemed illegal, it’s unclear if he received any legal ramifications after his TikTok. The video is the only one on his platform, so it doesn’t look like he updated his followers.
