HEADLINES
Radar Speedcheck Signs Slow Traffic in School Zones
By John Dixon Police Sgt. Joseph Deignan admits he’s
not the best driver on the road. As a traffic division officer for the City of Watertown, Mass., he has seen his share of automobile accidents and severe injuries caused by speeding drivers. Yet, he knows he some- times drives too fast. So it was really a revelation for him one day when he drove by a radar speedcheck sign and found himself slowing down. “It actually worked,” said Deignan. “Te
speedcheck sign refocused my attention from whatever was on my mind at the time, back to my speedometer. My im- mediate reaction was to slow down and adjust my speed in accordance to the posted limit.” Deignan figured the chances were good
that the technology would work for other drivers as well. Radar speedcheck signs — also known
as driver feedback signs, radar speed signs and a variety of other nomenclatures — display to drivers the speed of their cars as they drive by. Tey may also display warning messages or flash lights at driv- ers traveling above a particular speed. In doing so, the displays remind drivers to check their speedometers. Today, thanks in part to Deignan’s rev-
elation, the City of Watertown now has permanently-mounted speedcheck signs installed along the busy streets of each of its five school zones. Using a data col- lection feature that works with the speed displays, the city has determined that the speedcheck signs have had a significant impact on slowing traffic around these particularly hazardous locations. In ad- dition, the school bus drivers and others most familiar with traffic along the school routes report a noticeable reduction of driving speeds and an increase in over- all driver and pedestrian safety in areas where the speed displays are mounted. “Originally, we were using flashing lights
to remind drivers of the slower school zone speed limits,” said Deignan. “But over time, the flashing had become virtually invisible to most drivers. Now, with the speedcheck signs in operation, average speeds have dropped by about 10 mph – an amount that can have a significant effect on reducing accidents and the se- verity of injuries when accidents do occur.” Studies have shown that, in the event
of a pedestrian-related traffic accident, 10 mph can make the difference be- tween a cast or a casket. According to a 1990 report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, five percent of pedestrian accidents
reviewed in
the study resulted in fatalities when cars were traveling 20 mph or less. Tis number jumped to 40 percent when the cars were driving 30 mph and 80 percent at 40 mph. Like Watertown, thousands of
cities across the country confront concerns over school zone traffic each year. Tis problem has only increased as the number of chil- dren being driven to school has grown. According to Jen Cole, di- rector of the Safe Routes To School program for Feet First, a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to the promotion of walking, one of the key reasons that more parents are opting to drive their children to school is that they perceive it to be the safest option, despite repeated
the federal ment
that
studies there
by govern- is no
safer way to get to and from school than on a school bus. Ironically, the subsequent increase in cars that this creates near
20 School Transportation News Magazine May 2010
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