22 mph? There’s a reason Port Royal chose this unusual speed limit for its main street
The Town of Port Royal is cutting its speed limit on Paris Avenue and other town-owned roads in its downtown to a figure that isn’t often seen on speed limit signs: 22 mph.
Public safety isn’t really driving the move — it’s only 3 mph lower than the current speed limit of 25 — although lowering the speed limit can’t hurt.
More than anything, town officials hope to bring attention to an important issue, the number of veterans who die each day by suicide, which nationwide has been estimated at 22 daily, Mayor Joe DeVito said.
“We’re a military community, a military town,” DeVito said. “When you hear that staggering number of suicides each day by veterans, it’s an important piece of information people need to know.”
Marine Corps Air Station Parris Island and the Naval Hospital are located in Port Royal.
A 22 mph speed limit actually isn’t that unusual for Port Royal.
Years ago, DeVito said, the speed limit on Paris Avenue was 22.5 mph. There was just one problem.
“The signs kept getting stolen so the Town Council changed it to 25,” DeVito said.
DeVito brought the 22 mph proposal to the Town Council at the encouragement of a local official with AMVETS, a nationwide nonprofit that serves veterans. Mental health and suicide prevention are AMVETS legislative priorities.
It’s possible the 22 figure is lower — or higher.
In the early 2010s, before reliable census data was made public annually by federal researchers, veterans advocates frequently cited the veterans suicide statistic of “22 a day” based off partial estimates of deaths from a small number of states, the MilitaryTimes reported in February.
The figure was based on a 2013 VA study that has been frequently quoted since.
But in recent years, according to Military Times, VA officials have sought to correct that figure, to more accurately reflect the reality of the problem and better target efforts to provide solutions.
The average number of veteran suicides per day rose from 16.4 in 2001 to 16.8 in 2020, according to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Mental Health an Suicide. It was highest in 2018 at 18.6 per day, it was highest in 2018, the report says.
There were 123 veteran suicides in South Carolina in 2019, the VA says, and 6,221 nationally.
A joint study by America’s Warrior Partnership and the University of Alabama and Duke University, which reviewed census death data from 2014 to 2018 for eight states, put the figure higher — with an estimated 44 veterans lost each day to suicide. The study’s major take-away was that states under count deaths at a combined error rate of 25%.
The Town Council voted 5-0 Wednesday to move ahead with purchasing new 22 mph signs and additional signs that will highlight the issue of veterans suicides. Town Manager Van Willis says the signage in total will cost around $1,500 to $2,000.
No date is set for when the new speed limit will go into effect because town staff is still working out the details, DeVito said.
Speeding on Port Royal streets area is a frequent concern raised by residents and council members. DeVito says he regularly gets emails about it. Lowering the speed limit, while raising awareness about veterans and suicide, seemed like a good idea, he said.
DeVito’s initial proposal for the 22 mph speed limit was just for Paris Avenue but the council broadened it to all town-owned roads at the suggestion of Council Kevin Phillips.
The new speed limit will only be for roads that the town owns in the downtown area, DeVito emphasized. Speed limits for roads maintained by other governments, like Ribaut Road, where the speed limit is 40 mph, will not be affected.
The speed limit for the popular road to Sands Beach already is lower: 15 mph.
Veterans Crisis Line
If you’re a veteran in a mental health crisis and you’re thinking about hurting yourself — or you know a veteran who’s considering this — the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recommends calling 988 and select 1 or text 838255. You can also call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 1:02 PM.
