EAST HELENA — Kelly Stevenson-Sargent has lived on E. Groschell St. in East Helena for a decade. In recent years, she’s noticed a concerning trend in her residential neighborhood—cars speeding down her street.
“You hear people coming down here, revving up their engines, going as fast as they can,” Stevenson-Sargent said.
Stevenson-Sargent describes her neighborhood as full of families, making speeding especially concerning.
“There are kids everywhere, adults, people riding bikes, walking their pets, everywhere,” Stevenson-Sargent said of her neighborhood.
Stevenson-Sargent’s neighborhood isn’t the only one drivers are speeding through.
“We make a lot of traffic stops a year out here,” East Helena Police Department Deputy Chief Ed Royce said.
According to Royce, the East Helena Police Department has made almost 1,300 traffic stops so far in 2025, and in 2024, the department made almost 2,500 traffic stops. The majority of those stops were made due to speeding.
Speeding can be deadly. According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a contributing factor in almost 30 percent of traffic fatalities across the country in 2023.
“It’s very dangerous,” Royce said. “The faster you go, the longer it takes to stop.”
Police can’t monitor every street all the time, but they are trying to cut down speeders with a portable speed limit sign that alerts drivers to how fast they are going. The speed limit through East Helena is 25mph, unless otherwise noted, and Royce said drivers often do not realize they are speeding. The portable signs help keep drivers from going over the speed limit.
“It’s a good reminder,” Royce said. “I wish we had more of those to put out.”
Stevenson-Sargent would also like to remind drivers who live in the neighborhoods they travel through.
“Slow down,” she said. “My kids’ lives matter, my life matters, my husband’s life, my neighbors’ lives matter.”
East Helena residents can bring up concerns about speeding to the East Helena City Council.
According to East Helena Mayor Kelly Harris, the city is getting ready to start the budgeting process, and some things they could consider are getting more portable speed limit signs like the one they currently have, or getting permanent, solar-powered speed limit signs that alert drivers to their speed. Harris said residents are encouraged to voice their opinions and suggestions to the city council.
“Our meetings are the first and third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm, and we love to have the public show up,” Harris said.
Find a schedule of meetings, agendas and contact information on the East Helena website.
