Why Reducing Driver Speed in School Zones is the First Priority
ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 28, 2012—The end of summer ushers in back-to-school activities and, sadly, a new date marker for tracking school zone injuries and fatalities. While there are many causes for these accidents, speeding is a factor: a national study conducted by Safe Kids USA found that two-thirds of drivers exceeded the posted speed limits in school zones during the 30-minute periods before and after school—the most times when children are most vulnerable.
Radarsign™—America’s Official School Zone Safety Partner™—is making roads safer for children walking and riding bikes to school by slowing speeding drivers. Now, with 55 million children returning to class—with 13 percent walking or biking to school—reducing driver speeds in school zones is more critical than ever.
- A pedestrian hit by a car traveling 40 mph has an 85 percent chance of being killed. At 30 mph, those odds decrease to 55 percent. By contrast, the chance of a pedestrian being killed if hit by a car moving at 20 mph is only 15 percent.*
- A vehicle traveling 40 mph will still be going 36 mph when it hits a person who suddenly appears in the street 100 feet ahead of it; however the average driver going 25 mph would be able to come to a full stop within 100 feet. *
- A driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 seconds with their eyes off the road. In that time, a driver would travel 150 feet at 22 mph, 200 feet at 30 mph and 250 feet at 37 mph. **
For drivers passing through school zones, it is important to be vigilant during both the morning and afternoon “carpool drive times.” According to AAA, the later drive times are particularly dangerous for child pedestrians. Over the past 10 years, nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 p.m.
- Learn more about the School Zone Safety Solutions offered by Radarsign:
https://www.radarsign.com/traffic-calming-applications/school-zones/ - See what law enforcement officers are saying about Radarsign’s effectiveness in school zones: Radar Speed Sign Customer Reviews
- Watch the story of two Dunwoody schools that have seen a 50 percent reduction in speeding drivers with Radarsign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSFR89-31yY
About Radarsign® Brand Radar Speed Signs:
In 2004, Atlanta-based Radarsign® established new industry standards for traffic calming solutions with the debut of the world’s first armored driver feedback signs.Radarsign radar speed signs are vandal-, weather- and bullet-resistant. They are also the traffic calming industry’s most durable, most ecological and most energy efficient radar speed signs. Engineered and manufactured in the USA, all Radarsign models are MUTCD-compliant and utilize recycled aluminum, innovative LED reflector technology, minimal battery power and solar panels to deliver bright, easy-to-read feedback to drivers. Radarsign products are scientifically proven to reduce drivers’ speeds and have been entrusted to provide safe and effective traffic calming solutions for: municipalities, treasured national parks, schools, neighborhoods, military bases, and private and public development projects across the U.S., Canada and overseas. www.radarsign.com.
* (Killing Speed and Saving Lives, UK Department of Transportation, 1987)
** (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)
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Media Contact: Tracy Clement – TClement@RobinTracy.com – (770) 401-8753