7 Parts of an Effective School Traffic Safety Plan

By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE

Most schools have a well-developed safety plan for dealing with emergencies.  They even have regular fire, tornado/hurricane, and lockdown drills so staff and students are well prepared.  Even though being killed in a car crash is the leading cause of death for school age children in the United States, most schools don’t have a comprehensive Traffic Safety Plan.

I previously wrote a multi-part series on creating an effective school traffic safety plan. With the new school year fast approaching, I felt it was important to re-review this important topic. Government agencies and consulting engineers/planners can play a pivotal role in improving traffic safety near schools and within school campuses. Working in partnership can help improve the safety of all of our students.

Here’s a 7 Part Series on Developing an Effective School Safety Plan

1. Documenting Existing Conditions
2. Minimizing Vehicle / Student Interaction
3. Minimizing the Impacts of School Traffic
4. Increasing Student Visibility at Schools
5. Slowing Down Traffic in School Zones
6. Controlling Arrivals and Departures
7. Traffic Safety Education for Students

In addition to our 7 part series, here are further resources related to traffic safety at schools

• FHWA Safe Routes to School
• Minnesota Safe Routes to School
• National Center for Safe Routes to School
• AAA’s School Safety Patrol Program
• San Jose School Access Enhancement Program 
• Phoenix School Safety Program Update
• School Site Planning Design and Transportation
• New York City School Safety Engineering Project: Planning through Implementation on a Large Scale

Photo Source:  OSCO.com