Skip to main content

West Midlands schoolchildren help to educate speeding motorists

Pupils from Salisbury Primary School in Darlaston, West Midlands, UK, recently took part in a Community Speedwatch initiative with West Midlands Police, using a Speedwatch system supplied by UK company Traffic Technology. Under police supervision, the children were given the opportunity to read the data obtained by the Speedwatch device and relay it to the rest of the group, which transferred the information on vehicle type, colour, registration and speed to a specially-produced form. The children then used
May 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Pupils from Salisbury Primary School in Darlaston, West Midlands, UK, recently took part in a Community Speedwatch initiative with West Midlands Police, using a Speedwatch system supplied by UK company 561 Traffic Technology.

Under police supervision, the children were given the opportunity to read the data obtained by the Speedwatch device and relay it to the rest of the group, which transferred the information on vehicle type, colour, registration and speed to a specially-produced form.

The children then used the data in a maths lesson at school to work out means, modes, ratios and more. They will also write a letter to drivers in their English lesson to highlight how they feel about speeding and the effect it could have on them and their family. This will be sent to violating motorists, along with the official police letter.

Richard Collins of West Midlands Police, who conducted the initiative, said the equipment is ideal for community speed watch schemes, easy to use, precise and most importantly not confrontational. He continued, “I feel that is import to get members of the public involved in such schemes, particularly the children as these are the adults of the future. Not only is it a great way of building trust and confidence between police and the community  it can also be used as an aid to education.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Acusensus highlights magnitude of seatbelt problem
    March 8, 2023
    If you don’t wear a seatbelt, you’re disproportionately likely to be killed in road collisions. Geoff Collins of Acusensus talks to Adam Hill about how AI will allow police to monitor and prevent this risky behaviour
  • Positive incentives an alternative to road user charging?
    February 1, 2012
    The Netherlands has been looking at incentivising rush-hour avoidance. The intention is to better understand road users' motivations and find alternatives to congestion charging. Something significant needs to happen if we are to adequately address the traffic congestion and other issues caused by the ever-rising numbers of vehicles on our roads. Congestion or distance-based charging is seen as one way of managing demand and raising revenue for improvements to transport infrastructure. However, charging is
  • Are e-scooters safe for cities?
    November 6, 2019
    Electric scooters are promoted as both a lifestyle choice and an environmentally friendly means of solving first- and last-mile challenges.
  • Improve and increase mass transit systems to minimise congestion
    January 24, 2012
    Rather looking to solve congestion by spreading the load, perhaps we need to look at concentrating it. Michael L. Sena writes. We humans were made to walk and run at embarrassingly slow speeds by comparison with other, more fleet-footed organisms. The sea is not our natural habitat and we were definitely not designed to fly unaided. Nevertheless, humankind has evolved a method of living during the past century that is dependent on transporting its members over very long distances during relatively short per