Fed up about cars ending up in yard because of driving too fast

Any idea on what I can do about people driving too fast and sliding around a curve landing in my front yard? The speedlimit is 35 but they drive about 60. I got home to find huge ruts in my yard the other day.

I have talked to the county executive , judge madjestrate, highway department. I have written letters and attached photos.

I was thinking of putting a fence up using 6x6 posts in concrete but wondered if somehow someone would try to sue me if they got hurt.

I have a daughter and a son on the way and their bedroom faces the road. I am scared to death someone is going to end up in my house!

I can attach pictures if that helps. I am just so fed up right now I dont know what to do.

Google Groups: Search on "Advice to keep cars from sliding into my yard on bad curve."

It ran 138 postings.

Good luck!

--Winston

"Indestructable fences" are a good way to get sued.

Make a fuss and get a guardrail put up, sell your house and buy one in a different location, or...

Dig out the yard 12-18" deep for a 10-20 foot strip near the road. Pile this dirt into a berm on the house side of the dug-out area. Fill the area with ball bearings. Place no trespassing signs, and charge the drivers that end up stuck in the ball-bearing pit with trespassing.

Or, put a pond or marsh there, which is cheaper than ball bearings. If you can get a nice rounded grade of pea stone that might work too, but the usual stuff can't be depended upon to get the car good and stuck.

In an ideal world you could get the local authorities to erect a barrier. As an inducement to get them to act make sure that your concern over the safety issues are in the public record. And then point out (privately) that injuries resulting from a failure of the officals to act on a clearly unsafe road condition/use would be grounds for a civil suit. But failing in that you might be on safe legal grounds if the barrier is located entirely within the property lines (and doesn't run into zoning restrictions). You'd certainly want to consult with a lawyer first w/respect to potential liability issues.

I doubt that 6x6's would be big enough if we are talking about speeds in the 60'sh range. Something on the order of telephone poles sunk 6' deep would seem more reasonable.

Where are you? The technical answer is trivial - a really huge wall. The legal answe may be more complex.

Caltrans uses plasic barrels full of sand. Hence the "he bought a barrel of sand" metaphor. Maybe hide them behind a hedge.

Seems that if you use the same thing that is industry practice, your legal liability might be less.

Of course, I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

Roust your Congressman

||Any idea on what I can do about people driving too fast and sliding ||around a curve landing in my front yard? The speedlimit is 35 but they ||drive about 60. I got home to find huge ruts in my yard the other day. || ||I have talked to the county executive , judge madjestrate, highway ||department. I have written letters and attached photos. || ||I was thinking of putting a fence up using 6x6 posts in concrete but ||wondered if somehow someone would try to sue me if they got hurt. || ||I have a daughter and a son on the way and their bedroom faces the ||road. I am scared to death someone is going to end up in my house! || ||I can attach pictures if that helps. I am just so fed up right now I ||dont know what to do. ||

Texas Parts Guy

Build a nice cedar fence. This will both hide the road from your house, and give a visual obstacle to the drivers. Most drivers will avoid it where now there is no consequence to cutting the corner.

If they do hit it, collect the insurance, and put the money into your kid's college account. This could turn into a nice little nickel machine...

The 6x6 posts will just be sheared off to little avail. If you're on a slope up, putting in a retaining wall of about 2' high will stop all but the big trucks without any legal problems if you put a fence at the top of the wall to keep things from falling off the wall. If you're level, there's always a few large (4'-8' diameter) rocks that will provide a good splat zone but you do want several to fill out other parts of the yard. Brick fences will work only if they are reinforced as the bricks do tend to break apart easily. The only thing the general fence does is to attempt to show the driver where the road isn't. Finally, there is always the steel barrier to slow down the drivers. You might want to work with your neighbor to work the barrier all the way around the turn.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

You don't need a huge wall, just some very short posts. Too short for anyone to hit them, excapt with their transaxle.

||Build a nice cedar fence. This will both hide the road from your house, and ||give a visual obstacle to the drivers. Most drivers will avoid it where ||now there is no consequence to cutting the corner. || ||If they do hit it, collect the insurance, and put the money into your kid's ||college account. This could turn into a nice little nickel machine...

Might want something more substantial to make sure the car and driver hang around to offer insurance information.

||> I have talked to the county executive , judge madjestrate, highway ||> department. I have written letters and attached photos. ||>

||> I was thinking of putting a fence up using 6x6 posts in concrete but ||> wondered if somehow someone would try to sue me if they got hurt. ||>

||> I have a daughter and a son on the way and their bedroom faces the ||> road. I am scared to death someone is going to end up in my house! ||>

||> I can attach pictures if that helps. I am just so fed up right now I ||> dont know what to do. ||> || ||

Texas Parts Guy

They told me unless there is a 6 foot or more drop off, they cant put a guardrail up.

I live in Kentucky.

The problem is thye usually hit it when we are gone and they drive off.

The rode level is higher than where my house is.

What about when thye fly through the windshield on their sudden stop?

I love it, best idea so far ;)