A Jupiter mother who rallied her community to demand safer intersections on Military Trail is celebrating a major victory after Palm Beach County officials agreed to install new protected left-turn signals.
The county confirmed the safety upgrades will be installed within three to four weeks at the intersections of Military Trail with both University Boulevard and Fredrick Small Road.
The decision comes less than two weeks after WPTV first shared the story of Susan Tinsley, who began advocating for change after her husband witnessed the aftermath of a crash involving teenagers.
Watch WPTV's previous report on Susan Tinsley and her push to spread the word about the dangers of "yield-on-green" left turns
A community's voice gets results
Last week, Tinsley urged residents to contact county officials about the dangers of making "yield-on-green" left turns with obstructed views at the busy intersections. The community responded, and the county listened.
In a significant move, the Palm Beach County Engineering Department told WPTV it will install the protected green arrows despite these locations not meeting the typical threshold of five left-turn-related crashes within a 12-month period.
"The community was able to get a change… the county heard the community," Tinsley said. "Your voice is heard, and as a group, we are very powerful."
Relief for local drivers
The news is a welcome relief for Tinsley’s daughter, Sawyer, a teen driver who navigates that stretch of Military Trail daily. She previously told WPTV that the intersections were one of the most frightening parts of her drive.
"It just makes me feel much safer already knowing that those lights will be changed," Sawyer said. "Knowing that I won't have to avoid them — there'll just be an arrow and it's simple. I don't have to worry about timing it perfectly."
She said the experience taught her a valuable lesson about the power of speaking up.
"You don't need to have all the resources in the world. You just need to know how you can use them," Sawyer explained. "Reaching out to news outlets and reaching out to social media — to get things done and change to happen."
Her mother hopes this success story inspires others to advocate for safety in their own neighborhoods.
"I think if people want to help, people want to create change — sometimes they just need, here's what to do," Susan Tinsley said. "It gives me a ton of hope for our future as a community."
Palm Beach County officials stated the new traffic signals will be fully operational in three to four weeks.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
