As we prepare for the start of another school year, please remember that many students will be walking or biking to school each day. We ask that everyone be especially aware of increased numbers of kids on the streets in the mornings and afternoons. This is especially true in school zones.
Pedestrian safety is a top priority in school zones and on school campuses everywhere. With 20% of the 55 million school children walking or biking to school, reducing driver speed in school zones is more critical than ever.
While there are many causes for traffic accidents, driver speed is cited as the root source of 33% of all traffic fatalities.
A pedestrian hit by a car traveling 40 mph has an 85 percent chance of being killed. At 30 mph, those odds decrease to 55 percent. By contrast, the chance of a pedestrian being killed if hit by a car moving at 20 mph is only 15 percent.*
A vehicle traveling 40 mph will still be going 36 mph when it hits a person who suddenly appears in the street 100 feet ahead of it; however the average driver going 25 mph would be able to come to a full stop within 100 feet. *
A driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 seconds with their eyes off the road. In that time, a driver would travel 150 feet at 22 mph, 200 feet at 30 mph and 250 feet at 37 mph. **
Please slow down and watch for kids on your morning and afternoon commutes.
Source: www.radarsign.com