Leading Manufacturer of Speed Displays Connects Latest Findings With Observational Reports Showing SpeedCheck Radar Speed Signs Increase School Zone Safety
PORTLAND, Oregon – The effectiveness of radar speed signs at slowing traffic and increasing school zone safety was underscored at a traffic safety workshop presented last week by Information Display Company. Speaking to a group of safety professionals, IDC president Gary ODell shared findings contained in a recent Safe Kids USA report that underscores the role that driver distractions can have on accidents.
The report, entitled Distracted Drivers In School Zones, includes a number of statistics that show how even small distractions can dramatically increase the chance of an accident. The report also includes findings from a Safe Kids USA-sponsored study that directly examines the issue of driver distractions in school zones. In that study, one in six drivers traveling through an active school zone was observed in a state of distraction.
“With the increased use of cell phones, GPS systems, music players and other devices, driver distraction has become a real concern,” said ODell. “That is why radar speed signs remain one of the most effective means of slowing cars.”
According to ODell, radar speed signs increase school zone safety by refocusing driver attention away from distractions and back to his or her current rate of speed. And unlike flashing lights or other attention-grabbing strategies, radar speed signs have proven to remain effective years after first being installed.
ODell highlighted statistics in the report that quantified the effects of driver distraction. According to that data, a car traveling on a dry road at 33 mph requires an overall breaking distance of approximately 104 feet. An additional 33 feet of stopping distance is required for each second the driver is distracted.
“This again highlights the value that radar speed signs have in decreasing speeds in and around school zones,” said ODell. “When an accident does occur, the severity of the accident is directly related to the speed at impact. Reducing a vehicle-pedestrian crash speed from 30 mph to 20 mph decreases the likelihood of any resulting fatality from 45 percent to 5 percent.”
Read the report
