ATS report highlights school zone safety

A report by American Traffic solutions (ATS), How to Help Eliminate Dangers of Traveling to and from School (and Keep Kids Safe), highlights the dangers children face as they travel to and from school and details some of the successes schools and cities are having with new solutions to both change driver behaviour and enhance student safety. Every year, on average, 100 children are killed and 25,000 are injured walking to and from school. Many of these tragedies can be attributed to drivers who are distr
August 29, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

A report by 17 American Traffic solutions (ATS), How to Help Eliminate Dangers of Traveling to and from School (and Keep Kids Safe), highlights the dangers children face as they travel to and from school and details some of the successes schools and cities are having with new solutions to both change driver behaviour and enhance student safety.

Every year, on average, 100 children are killed and 25,000 are injured walking to and from school. Many of these tragedies can be attributed to drivers who are distracted, speeding through school zones or illegally passing stopped school buses as children move toward or away from the bus. Enforcing traffic laws can help reduce these hazards, but the demands on officers make it impossible for them to maintain a constant presence on school buses and in school zones on a daily basis.

According to the ATS report, automated enforcement is a proven deterrent to excessive speeding in school zones and the practice of illegally passing school buses that are stopped to let children on or off.

The report claims: In Des Moines, WA, the number of motorists speeding in front of Woodmont Elementary School decreased by 82 per cent in the first six months of the city’s school zone speed safety camera program; The city of Seattle has seen a 27 per cent reduction in the number of violations issued since their school zone speed safety camera program started in December 2012; In Georgia, the state with highest number of school bus passing violations in the US, ATS’ CrossingGuard school bus stop arm safety cameras are reducing the threat to children from illegal passes. Violations decreased between 42 and 50 per cent in three areas after cameras were installed on buses to record illegal passes.

“This report should help remind all of us of the persistent dangers that students face,” said Charles Territo, ATS Senior President of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs. “Around the country law enforcement and school districts are looking for new ways to increase student safety. We’re proud of how our school zone speed cameras and school bus stop arm safety solutions are helping keep children safe every day.”

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • US drivers receptive to usage-based auto insurance
    September 5, 2013
    US drivers are predominantly open-minded to purchasing usage-based auto insurance (UBI) policies, or pay as you drive insurance, according to a new survey by professional services company Towers Watson. The survey results are a clear indication that UBI is gaining momentum in the marketplace, with more consumers willing to let insurers monitor their driving habits with a telematics device in exchange for potential savings on their car insurance. Most (79 per cent) respondents to the UBI Consumer Survey
    Read More
  • UK motorists ‘relax attitudes’ on distracted driving
    September 15, 2016
    Research for the RAC’s Report on Motoring 2016 has revealed that for some, attitudes towards handheld mobile use have worryingly relaxed over the last two years. The proportion of people who feel it is acceptable to take a quick call on a handheld phone has doubled from seven per cent in 2014 to 14 per cent in 2016 and the percentage of drivers who feel it is safe to check social media on their phone when in stationary traffic, either at traffic lights or in congestion, has increased from 14 per cent in
    Read More
  • ‘Eating and drinking while driving almost as dangerous as using a mobile device’
    June 13, 2014
    According to new data released by driver safety solutions company Lytx Europe, eating or drinking while driving is nearly as dangerous as using a mobile device – whether handheld or hands-free - and greatly increases a driver’s risk of being in or causing a collision. Lytx (formerly DriveCam) found that drivers who eat and drink while driving are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a collision than those who do not due to the distraction this causes. This is almost as high as the collisions resultin
    Read More
  • Australia’s NRMA welcomes road safety funding boost
    April 2, 2013
    Australia’s National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) has praised the New South Wales (NSW) government's plan to use revenue raised by speed cameras to help boost funding for road safety programs by US$7.3 million. The new Safer Roads Program is part of the Centre for Road Safety's state-wide strategy aimed at cutting the state's road toll by thirty per cent by 2021. The additional funds will see a total of US$37.6 million a year spent on works in areas where the worst crashes are occurring, with the
    Read More

Highlighted Content