Report on school zone dangers criticizes unsafe distraction behavior, lack of speed limits
Four out of five middle and high school students leaving school at the end of the day did not cross the street in a safe way, according to a recent report on school zone hazards. The study also said about onethird of drivers engaged in some unsafe behavior in a school's pick up and drop off zone, such as disobeying the rules of the road or blocking a crosswalk.
The study was conducted by Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization focusing on preventing childhood injuries, and received support from FedEx. The report observed the behavior of an estimated 39,000 teenage pedestrians and 56,000 school zone drivers in 15 states.
Eighty percent of student pedestrians did not cross the road safely during the study's two observational periods, including 83 percent of middle school pedestrians and 76 percent of high school pedestrians. Students were most likely to cross the street without looking, a behavior seen in 46 percent of middle school pedestrians and 44 percent of high school pedestrians.
Twenty-eight percent of high school pedestrians did not cross the street at a marked crosswalk, and 18 percent crossed against a traffic signal. Among middle school pedestrians, 23 percent were seen crossing against the light and 15 percent did not use a crosswalk.
About nine out of 10 schools had a clearly marked school zone, while seven in 10 had a marked crosswalk. However, other traffic control devices and aids to pedestrians were lacking in school zones. Traffic signals were not present in 44 percent of middle schools observed for the study. Crossing guards were seen at only 32 percent of the middle schools and just 11 percent of the high schools.
Twenty-seven percent of high school pedestrians were deemed to be distracted while leaving school, up from 20 percent in a similar study conducted in 2013. The share of distracted middle school pedestrians rose from 12 percent to 17 percent in the same period.
Wearing headphones was the most common form of distraction, observed in 44 percent of teenage pedestrian. Texting was the next most common sight, with 31 percent of teenage pedestrians engaged in this behavior.
Although 86 percent of the schools observed in the study had a clearly marked school zone and nearly nine in 10 had a specified zone to pick up and drop off students, most did not have a clearly marked low speed limit. Only 44 percent of middle schools and 39 percent of high schools had a speed limit of 20 miles per hour or less.
Thirty-four percent of drivers at middle schools were engaged in an unsafe behavior while picking up or dropping off a student, along with 30 percent of drivers at high schools. The most common error was not following the rules of the road, a behavior seen at 24 percent of high schools and 21 percent of middle schools.
Other unsafe behaviors observed in the study included double parking (13 percent of middle schools, 10 percent of high schools), parking on the opposite side of the street (8 percent of middle schools, 7 percent of high schools), and blocking a crosswalk (3 percent of middle schools, 4 percent of high schools).
Slightly more than 10 percent of drivers in school zones were distracted by a mobile device as they entered a pick up and drop off zone, with most of these drivers talking on a cell phone. Of the distracted drivers, 3 percent were using more than one device, such as using a phone and wearing headphones.
Safe Kids Worldwide says the data is particularly concerning because data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows an increase in teen pedestrian deaths in recent years. Although the per capita rate of fatalities among children has fallen in the past 20 years, the decrease has not been as substantial among 12- to 19-year-olds. In fact, the fatality rate of this age group increased by 13 percent between 2013 and 2015.
"With teen pedestrian deaths on the rise, we need to rally our communities to take action to protect our kids," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "Let's commit to slow down to at least 20 miles per hour in school zones, enforce the rules, and put an end to distraction while driving and crossing the street."
The study also looked at the effect of establishing "Heads Up Phones Down" signs and sidewalk stencils, observing the behavior of approximately 35,000 teenage pedestrians and 56,000 drivers both before and after this initiative. Both driver and pedestrian distraction decreased after this action, although a greater share of pedestrians was observed engaging in other unsafe street crossing methods.
Safe Kids Worldwide recommends that communities establish and enforce smart policies for picking up and dropping off students. The study also advocates for the establishment of school zone speed limits of 20 miles per hour or less, improvements to pedestrian infrastructure where necessary, and education of both teenagers and adults on the dangers of unsafe walking and driving habits.