Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator hopes two new speed display signs will have a positive impact on unsafe drivers in Caddo Parish.

At a news conference today, Prator and Tommy Head of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission unveiled one of the signs in the 5100 block of Dixie Garden Drive. The other sign will be placed in north Caddo Parish.

The portable signs were purchased for the Sheriff's Office by the Highway Safety Commission at a cost of $3,300 each. Their purpose is to alert drivers when they are traveling over the speed limit in an effort to reduce speed-related fatalities and crashes in the parish. In 2007, there were 14 traffic fatalities in Caddo Parish where speed was a factor, Prator said.

The Decatur OnSite Radar Speed display signs feature 18-inch high LED characters that are readable up to 1,000 feet. It also comes equipped with software that will provide the Sheriff's Office with traffic survey reports that include the total number of vehicles traveling in the area, how fast motorists are traveling, and an analysis of motorists who are speeding.

Prator said because the signs are mobile they can easily be placed in areas where speed is a concern. They will be moved regularly on both ends of the parish to address citizen complaints and problem areas determined by the Sheriff's Office.