School zone and pedestrian safety is a top priority in school zones and on school campuses everywhere. With 13 percent of the 55 million school children walking or biking to school, reducing driver speed in school zones is more critical than ever. For drivers passing through school zones, it is especially 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.
While there are many causes for traffic accidents, driver speed is cited as the root source of 33% of all traffic fatalities.
- 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. **
Radarsign—America’s Official School Zone Safety Partner—has several options to slow speeding drivers and make your school zone safer:
- Radar Speed Signs: Solar powered, AC powered, and battery powered models in 12” and 17” LED sizes. Plus our Mobile Patrol Stand and Radar on the GO trailer hitch provide an easy way to add mobility to your traffic calming efforts.
- Beacon Safety System: This system Includes the flashing beacons only. Optional add-ons include a timer, regulatory school zone sign, pole and footings.
- Radar Speed Sign/Beacon Safety System: This system includes flashing beacons, an AC powered or solar powered radar speed sign with a yellow fluorescent YOUR SPEED faceplate and StreetSmart data collection and reporting software. The Radarsign/Beacon Safety System is more effective than stand-alone flashing beacons because of the physiological response of drivers to the radar speed sign displaying their actual speed. Because the sign flashes the driver’s speed as they approach it, the driver is forced into an active state of awareness of how fast they are driving, resulting in increased speed limit compliance.
Funding Options
Federal grant funding is available for elementary and middle schools through the Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) for roadway safety measures which include traffic calming devices such as a radar speed sign. Radarsign models are eligible for 100% funding as an infrastructure improvement.
For information on Federal funding from your State DOT go to http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfm.
Other fund raising options include:
- PTA fundraising project
- Donations from local “big box” retailers who want to be good corporate citizens
- Donations from concerned local civic groups
- State transportation grants
