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| Information: 1000 Cherry St SE PO Box 40944 Olympia, WA 98504 Phone: (360) 753-6197 Fax: (360) 586-6489 sysop@wtsc.wa.gov |
NEWS RELEASE
Back To School Brings Increased Fines For Drivers Speeding in School Zones
Watch for the Flashing Yellow Beacon Lights and Slow Down
August 23, 2007
Olympia, WA — The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reminds motorists that as students head back to schools across the state this fall, stringent traffic safety requirements will be in effect in all school zones to protect the more than 630,000 elementary school age children in Washington State.
“With school starting back up, the speed limits in school zones of 20 miles per hour (mph) will be strictly enforced,” said Lowell Porter, director of the Washington Traffic Safety commission (WTSC.)
The reduced speed carries with it a mandatory citation fine of between $185 and $784 depending on the speed of the violator. School zone citation fines may not be waived, reduced, or suspended.
The effort is the result of two studies and is the basis for statewide projects aimed at increasing safety in school zones.
One study showed that reducing speed limits in school zones has a dramatic effect on the safety of students, Porter said. Studies show that a child has an 80 to 90 percent rate of survival if struck by a car traveling 20 mph, as opposed to a 90 percent chance of death if the car is traveling only five to 10 miles an hour faster.
Another study completed by the WTSC identified flashing yellow beacon lighting as one of the most effective ways to reduce speeds of vehicles in school zones.
“That is why the Traffic Safety Commission this summer approved and granted $1.3 million dollars to 39 agencies statewide to make improvements to the elementary schools’ zones in their local districts,” said Porter. This year’s grants will provide safety equipment to nearly 200 elementary schools.
“On average, drivers traveled five to seven miles per hour slower when the flashing yellow school zone lights were present -- a small but crucial safety difference,” said Porter.
A flashing yellow beacon/lighting system includes:
- Yellow lighted beacons;
- 20 mph speed limit signage mounted to approved poles and powered by solar or electrical energy;
- Additional signage to ensure proper marking of a designated school zone, and;
- Software to control the system.
The focus of this year’s grants was on elementary schools only. Studies show children under the age of 13 have limited depth perception and could be unable to judge the distance and time of an approaching vehicle, whereas older students could make the distinction and react more successfully.
Projects were selected based on individual school zone data including average vehicle speeds, vehicle traffic volumes, and collision data for the past five years, roadway design, and the number of students who walk or ride bicycles to school in relation to the number of students who attend the school.
The program has entered its second phase of a potential 10-year project. It is part of the School Zone Safety Act, which was passed by the 1996 Washington Legislature. The law directed the WTSC to develop and implement programs to improve safety in school zones. One half of the fine for speeding in a school zone is deposited into a school zone account used only by the WTSC to fund projects in local communities to improve school zone and/or student transportation safety.
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