School Safety Plan Part 5: Slowing Down Traffic

This is an installment of an 8 part series on School Safety Plans.  The next portion will be posted next Monday. 

The speed of a vehicle in a crash greatly determines the severity of injuries. Slowing down vehicles within the school grounds and on the streets adjacent to the school is a significant way to improve safety. Coordinating your efforts to slow traffic on the adjacent streets with the city’s police and engineering departments is important to the success of your plan. Traffic signs have little impact unless the police routinely enforce them. Police departments are usually willing to increase their speed enforcement within school zones if you remind them of the importance of low speeds.  Speed bumps and blocking off through routes within the parking lot may be needed to slow down traffic. Physical devices like roundabouts are the best way to slow down vehicles on the adjacent streets. Engineering department cooperation will be needed if this type of change is warranted. Physical devices in the parking lot and on the adjacent streets need to be well thought out because they can pose significant problems for handicapped persons and may also cause unnecessary delays if used inappropriately.

Comments

[California Traffic School]

I have gone through all the 7 parts for school safety and they are definitely worth implementing. Thanks for sharing.

-Sami

[Advanced Driver Improvement Course]

Well written! I hop following this plans will surely slow down traffic.