14 May 23
Written by Damian Kevitt, Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone, with assistance from Rebecca Strasser, Kristen Weiss, and Allison Jeon.

Dedicated to the hundreds of children in CA who were killed by traffic violence and will never see another day of school.

In addition to other challenges, our schools are facing a public health crisis because of speeding, and it is only getting worse. Children and teenagers are dying, and they will keep dying unless change happens. While writing this report, yet another tragedy occurred near our SAFE office. On April 25th, 2023, 33-year-old Ghadah Abduljabbar and her 6-year-old daughter were struck by a speeding vehicle in Hancock Park, a community in Los Angeles, CA. The mother was pronounced dead at the scene, and the daughter, a six-year-old, was severely injured but survived. The pair were hit while walking across a crosswalk near Hancock Park Elementary School, where the child attends the first grade. We cannot ignore speeding. Measures must be taken to mitigate speeding and keep our children safe.

It should be noted that the issue of speeding is not peculiar to California. Speeding is a national epidemic and the primary factor in all collisions across the US. In 2021 alone, over 42 thousand Americans lost their lives to traffic violence, with one-third of these deaths resulting from speeding.

Excessive speed can lead to crashes, injuries, and fatalities for all road users, but it affects pedestrians and cyclists the most. Why? Because, while in a car, one has protections – seat belts, airbags, structural crash zones, etc. – that have improved over the years and drastically increased a driver or passenger’s chances of surviving. Pedestrians and cyclists are collectively called “vulnerable road users” because they have none of that protection. At best, a cyclist has a helmet to protect their head. As a result, it has been shown that as the speed of a car increases, so does the mortality rate of a pedestrian if hit by the vehicle. A pedestrian struck by a car traveling at 20 miles per hour (MPH) has a 10% chance of dying; at 30 MPH, a 40% chance of dying; and at 40 MPH, an 80% chance of dying. With such a high number of fatalities nationally, the public health crisis that is traffic violence in America cannot be understated, and it has to be taken seriously more than ever.

SPEED IS THE PRIMARY FACTOR IN TRAFFIC VIOLENCE ACROSS CA

Traffic violence is an undeniable reality for Californians, as the number of traffic fatalities in the state is 25% higher than the national average. In 2021 there were 157,737 Californians severely to moderately injured in traffic collisions, with an additional 4,133 whose injuries were fatalities. Unfortunately, this high number of injuries and fatalities seems to be a growing trend; 2021 saw a 10.7% increase in traffic fatalities from the previous year. Again, the largest factor in these injuries and fatalities in California is unsafe speed – 29.4% of all injuries and fatalities were the result of unsafe speed.

SCHOOL ZONES ARE NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN

By California law, school zones are defined as any area within 1,000 feet of a school and any area within 100 feet of a designated school bus stop during regular school hours or within 60 minutes before or after any school-sponsored activity on the campus (CA Vehicle Code 40802). For this report, we used the definition of a “school walk zone,” which is the ½-1 mile radius around the schools where kids might walk or ride to their school and where bus transportation is not provided. 

According to a national survey conducted by the Transportation Research Board, 25,000 children are injured annually, and more than 100 are killed on average immediately around a school.

A study by Safe Kids Worldwide has shown that as many as 40 students per day are struck by a vehicle while walking to school in the United States, while nearly five teen pedestrian deaths occur per week.

Streets Are For Everyone was able to obtain speed surveys on the roads around 26 schools in four California cities – Bakersfield, Millbrae, Los Alamitos, and Covina. These schools were chosen as they represent a cross-section of different types of schools and road environments (from schools in quiet residential zones to schools directly on major roads). For the purposes of this report, speeding is defined as greater than 5 MPH over the speed limit.

PERCENTAGE OF TRAFFIC TRAVELING >5 MPH OVER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT PER CITY

The speed surveys showed that across all 26 schools, over a third of all drivers (65.04%) speed through school zones greater than 5 MPH over the posted speed limit when children are expected to be within school zones. It was found in cities like Bakersfield that 69.53% of drivers speed through school zones. And in Covina, a staggering 86.16% of drivers were found to speed through school zones. The average speed around these schools varied but was usually around 40 MPH. The fastest speed registered during school hours was almost 80 MPH. 

We are gambling with children’s lives, and children are not winning. In areas like Covina, where 86% of drivers were found to be speeding at least 5 MPH over the speed limit, and the average speed was closer to 45 MPH, if a pedestrian were to be hit by a vehicle at this speed, they would have only a 10-20% chance of surviving. Now imagine if that pedestrian was an 8-year-old child.

With this much speeding in the areas around schools, we then looked at the number of pedestrians and people riding bicycles who were seriously injured or killed for the past five years (2016-2020) within the walking zone of each of the 26 schools. These were the results:

HOW DO WE ADDRESS SPEEDING AROUND SCHOOL ZONES?

There are numerous ways to address speeding around school zones, and not one single solution will be ideal for all school zones. Below are some common solutions to school zone speeding. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of solutions, nor is all the information (pros and cons, costs, etc.) complete about each type of solution. It is meant as a layperson’s guide to ways these issues can be addressed to empower parents, teachers, and road safety advocates.

SOLUTION 1 - SETTING SPEED LIMITS FOR SAFETY

Speed limits are well-known visible indicators that tell drivers how fast they should go. Per CA law, school zone speed limits are 25 MPH when children are present and can be lowered to 15 MPH by a city or county. Reducing the speed limit and posting the appropriate signs is relatively inexpensive and can be easily implemented.

When reduced speed limits are combined with other measures like crossing guards, police enforcement, speed safety cameras, or infrastructure changes, these can be quite effective. However, as covered earlier in the report, speed limits set or lowered are too often ignored, creating dangerous situations for children and family members.

SOLUTION 2 - RECONFIGURING AND NARROWING LANES

Wider, straighter, and multi-lane streets tend to entice drivers to go faster. Conversely, narrower roads naturally result in most drivers slowing down. A way to narrow lanes is by road dieting, which is converting four travel lanes - two lanes in each direction - to three travel lanes: two lanes, one going in each direction, and a middle turn lane.

This street reconfiguration can reduce speeds by 3-5 MPH, while the middle turn lane can lead to a reduction of delays in intersections. The fourth lane is easily converted to a protected bike lane, creating a safer route for all on bicycles. This method has shown a reduction of speeds over 40 MPH by 94%. This solution is best done where schools are adjacent to major roads but require strong community support, which does not always exist.

SOLUTION 3 - TIMING TRAFFIC SIGNALS TO SUPPORT SAFE SPEEDS

Timing traffic signals are when traffic moving at a certain speed will get a continuous green light, a “green wave.” If drivers are able to figure this out, they will stick to the speed limit. Some cities in CA, like San Francisco, post signs on what that magic speed is. Retiming a traffic signal from 30 MPH to 25 MPH has shown an average speed decrease for all vehicles around 3 MPH.

This solution requires multiple traffic lights on a stretch of road, which are very expensive to install. However, if the traffic lights already exist, the cost to adjust their timing can be very minimal. The best implementation of this method is for one-way streets.

SOLUTION 4 - BRINGING DOWN SPEED AT INTERSECTIONS

Turning vehicles are one of the biggest threats to pedestrians, whether because of a lack of visual scanning or low visibility. Various solutions can be implemented to slow down speeds at intersections and make pedestrians more visible: bulb-outs, painted safety zones, protected intersections, and left turn calming have been proven methods to work.

Concrete bulb-outs (sidewalks that extend into the road, mainly where crosswalks are located) and painted safety zones (paint surrounding a curb) force drivers to avoid hitting the curb; this reduces driving speeds by 2.6 MPH on average. Protected intersections, which put a concrete island or painted safety zone outside of a bike line, are similar to bulb-outs but are farther into the intersection.

The last method is left turn calming, which uses a vertical post, rubber speed bump, and/or slow turn wedges to force drivers to take a slow, 90-degree turn. This can reduce average turning speeds by 52%, which helps to protect children and adults crossing streets near schools.

Some underlying issues with the described solutions are:

• Concrete bulb-outs, which are expensive but durable.

• Painted safety zones and vertical posts (a quick-build version of bulb-outs), which are less expensive and easily implementable but not as durable.

• Left-turn calming treatments have limited scenarios when they can be useful but are effective when appropriate.

Speed bumps and their four iterations are a durable solution that has been shown to substantially reduce speeding and decrease injuries and fatalities by 60%.

1. Speed bumps are small, raised, rounded areas that keep speeds to 5-10 MPH, most often used in parking lots and not on roads or streets.

2. Speed humps are parabolic-shaped vertical traffic calming devices intended to slow traffic speeds on low-volume, low-speed roads - typically residential areas. Speed humps reduce speeds to 15–20 mph and are often referred to as “bumps” on signage and by the general public.

3. Speed tables are midblock traffic calming devices that raise the entire wheelbase of a vehicle to reduce its traffic speed. Speed tables are longer than speed humps and flat-topped. Vehicle operating speeds for streets with speed tables range from 25–45 mph, depending on the spacing. Speed tables may be used on larger/higher volume streets and/or transit and emergency response routes. Where applied, speed tables may be designed as raised midblock crossings, often in conjunction with other treatments.

4. Speed cushions are either speed humps or speed tables that include wheel cutouts to allow large vehicles to pass unaffected while reducing passenger car speeds. They can be offset to allow unimpeded passage by emergency vehicles and are typically used on key emergency response routes.

While they are a valuable and necessary tool that should be implemented, the main hindrance to speed humps and their various iterations is the cost and time to get them installed. They typically cost tens of thousands of dollars for each set (including design, installation, and signage, depending on the material and size). Typically, 4-8 sets are needed around a school to slow down traffic effectively. This can easily cost $100,000 to $500,000 per school. In many CA cities, installing speed bumps or humps can take several months once the funds are approved.

SOLUTION 6 - SPEED RADAR SIGNS

Speed radar signs show a driver’s speed and the posted speed limit. Studies have found that speed radar signs decrease drivers’ speed by 3-9 MPH and, at least initially, slow drivers down 80% of the time. Speed radar signs are most effective when transitioning from a higher speed limit area to a lower speed limit area, such as entering a school zone.

Speed radar signs do not cost a lot to install, around $10,000, depending on the location. However, unlike speed humps which physically force drivers to slow down, their effectiveness tends to decrease over time as some drivers get used to and ignore the message.

SOLUTION 7 - TRAFFIC CIRCLES/ROUNDABOUTS

Traffic circles, also known as roundabouts, were found to reduce speeds by 11% or 2.75 MPH and reduce conflict points, resulting in reduced crashes. Roundabouts and neighborhood traffic circles lower speeds at minor intersection crossings and are an ideal treatment for uncontrolled intersections. Mini roundabouts may be installed using simple markings or raised islands but are best applied in conjunction with plantings that beautify the street and the surrounding neighborhood.

The cost of these can vary widely depending on if it’s created using only paint and bollards or a more permanent concrete structure with plants in the middle.

SOLUTION 8 - POLICE ENFORCEMENT

Police traffic enforcement has been the usual method of managing unsafe speeding, with or without other speed mitigation methods. There can be definite drawbacks to police traffic enforcement which has been found to include racial profiling, especially of black community members. As a result, many major cities are looking at alternative traffic enforcement methods. In larger cities, police staffing shortages, the high cost per hour of a typical police officer, and a large number of schools make this a generally less viable option for broad-scale effective action.  

SOLUTION 9 - SPEED SAFETY CAMERAS

Speed safety cameras, sometimes known as automated speed enforcement cameras, monitor an area with a sensor that detects a driver’s speed and, when they are found to be speeding a predetermined amount over the speed limit, record the vehicle's license plate and issue a driver a citation via the mail. Over 140 cities across the US currently use speed cameras. They have a proven track record of reducing crashes in urban areas by 54%, reducing collisions by 17 - 71%, and, most importantly, reducing speeding in school zones by 60%. A CDC report entitled “Automated Speed Camera Enforcement” found that speed cameras reduced total crashes anywhere from 8 percent to 49 percent and fatal and serious injury crashes from 11 percent to 44 percent in studies that compared pre- and post-crash data collected near camera sites.

Another advantage to speed safety cameras is they pay for themselves – revenue generated by the tickets covers the cost of the installation and maintenance of the systems.

Provided speed safety systems are installed in an equitable way – installed with community support in each location and not concentrated in only black and brown communities or only majority white communities – they would eliminate the possibility of racial profiling that has been a problem with police-based traffic enforcement.

However, despite speed cameras' effectiveness and the potential to eliminate racial disparity in traffic enforcement, they are not allowed to be implemented in California. This can change with AB 645, a California legislature bill introduced by Asm. Friedman, that would allow the limited use of speed cameras in school zones, on high injury networks, and roads with known street racing, as a pilot in 6 cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, and San Jose. This bill has the strictest equity and privacy regulations of any speed safety program in operation today and would also require any profit from the use of speed safety systems to be used to fund other traffic calming measures, like the ones mentioned in this report. For more information about AB 645 and its provisions to ensure equity and privacy, please see this chart.

SOLUTION 10 - SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS

Crossing guards at intersections near schools are a popular solution around school zones. They help children learn safe street crossing practices, such as looking both ways before crossing. A major barrier to this solution is that, for many school districts, there are not enough crossing guards for every school. On top of that, though the average school crossing guard in CA only makes $31,000 a year, the cost of a crossing guard is considered a luxury and one of the first things that get cut when budgets are tight. For instance, in the Fremont Unified School District, there are 43 schools, yet, Fremont only has 29 full-time crossing guards available with three alternatives and, in Sacramento, there were concerns about a shortage of crossing guards as there were only 25 crossing guards for 73 Schools in the Sacramento Unified School District. Crossing guards are an effective solution to mitigate collisions; however, it lacks effectiveness simply due to the limited number of crossing guards available.

SOLUTION 11 - EDUCATION

Many drivers know speeding is dangerous; however, due to a false sense of control, not experiencing the consequences of speeding, or being on habitual “autopilot,” drivers will underestimate the risks involved with speeding and will therefore speed. Traffic safety education, in many cases, has been shown not to be effective, as it fails to target specific audiences or lacks the necessary marketing for the education to be successful. A potentially effective solution is education campaigns that discuss the benefits of safe city speeds and more specific values, not generic ideas about speeding. Minnesota used a combination of community engagement and feedback signs to change drivers’ perspectives on speeding effectively. A frequent error in these community campaigns is insufficient funding to effect a change.

AT WHAT COST?

By using a combination of these and other solutions, any school zone can be made safe for children, school personnel, and the families using them. In other words, any “accident” – any serious injury, and most importantly, any fatality – is preventable by using a combination of the above and other solutions. And thus, we can no longer consider them “accidents.”

Often, the reason given that these solutions are not implemented is a lack of funds. Try giving that excuse to a mother or father grieving after the loss of their child. Was their child’s life not worth the investment of ten thousand or maybe a few hundred thousand dollars of improvements?

The fact remains city and state budgets are not infinite, and funds have to be allocated to many important government functions and programs. What is often ignored is how much each injury or fatality costs that family, the community, and the local state government. 

Per a 2019 report by SWITRS, each person seriously injured in a traffic collision costs an average of $287,000, and each fatality costs an average of $4,150,000. This would mean that, in 2021, the number of serious injuries and fatalities cost the State of California 22.426 billion dollars.

DON’T IGNORE THE FACTS. CHILDREN’S LIVES ARE AT STAKE.

There are hundreds of injuries and tens of fatalities that happen every single day on the highways, roads, and streets of California. Every life lost, and every person suffering life-altering injuries is important, but no one can argue that the loss or serious injury of a child is especially tragic. This is made even worse when it is near a school, which is supposed to be a sanctuary of safety for kids to be able to learn and explore the wonders of life.

IN REMEMBRANCE - JUST A FEW OF THE LIVES LOST

It’s time we stop ignoring this public health crisis and prioritize the right to life over the right to speed.