As we begin the new year, we can add Kansas to the list of 30 states that now ban text messaging while driving. This ban, along with a variety of other new driver safety regulations being adopted across the country, reflect a growing concern over the effect that driver distractions are having in causing accidents.

According to statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009 5,474 people in the U.S. were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers. Well over 300,000 injury crashes reportedly involved driver distraction as well. In fact, actual numbers are generally assumed to be much higher since drivers do not always report the role that cell phones, GPS systems and other distractive devices played in their accidents.

Still, the number of distracted driving-related fatalities continues to increase from year to year. In 2005 the distracted driver-related fatality rate was estimated at 10 percent of all driving fatalities as compared to 16 percent in 2009.

Those are the numbers. The real stories behind the statistics can be seen in a video campaign developed by U.S. Department of Transportation called Faces of Distracted Drivers. Each video in this series offers testimonials from those affected by the accidents involving distracted drivers. Pretty powerful stuff.

I must add that while new technologies such as texting or GPS devices are usually targeted as the root cause of driver distractions, some point to the fact that newly implemented laws that ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving (in favor of hands-free devices) have “produced no impact on accident rates.” According to a piece published in the WSJ, it’s not that distraction doesn’t play a role in accidents – it does. It’s argued that drivers simply substitute one distraction for another. The rise of cell phone driving-related accidents is – according to the author – simply due to the increased use of cell phones in general.

Either way, the list of potential distractions seems to be on the increase. Despite some concerns, Onstar is about to introduce an application that will allow drivers to verbally update their Facebook status and review their messages while behind the wheel. Ford’s Sync technology will connect a variety of different GPS and smart phone applications with voice command. Not to be outdone, Toyota just announced future plans for its Entune Multimedia System which will allow drivers a “hands free” way to read text messages, play music and interact with other smart phone apps.

So like it or not, it appears that distractions will play a significant role in thousands of serious automobile accidents each year. Instead of banning distractions – an impossible task I suppose – I predict that we will turn instead to making cars and transportation systems smarter. Our cars will have sensors that keep our distractions from interfering with safe driving. Perhaps smart road signs and lane barriers will keep us on track while we text grandma that we are on the way to Thanksgiving dinner.

We are already seeing these types of intelligent traffic systems being installed and implemented. As I’ve pointed out in earlier posts, the proven traffic-calming effectiveness of radar speed signs – those digital displays that tell passing drivers their actual speed – is directly related to their ability to disrupt distractions and refocus driver attention back to their current rate of speed. Variable message signs that tell drivers to slow down or to watch for obstructions ahead are also examples of distraction-busting technology.

It’s a pretty safe bet that we will all see an increase in the number of gadgets and applications we will have to distract us on our drive. Until such times as technology completely takes over and our transportation becomes a completely hands free experience, we’ll see cities and towns across the country turn to smart displays and other intelligent traffic systems to help us safely reach our destinations.

Got a speeding ticket lately? Think it was unjust? Think that the only ones who really care about speeding are police officers looking to fill a quota?

Well, according to a new study by the California Office of Traffic Safety, you’d be wrong.

Radar Speed Signs - Driver Distraction Fighter

The study was the first statewide effort by the OTS to query drivers about their thoughts on road safety. Conducted back in July, the survey includes the results of 1,671 interviews of drivers 18 and over. Those chosen to participate in the survey were randomly selected while getting gas at one of sixty gas stations located throughout California.

Some of the survey findings were to be expected; others might be a bit of a surprise. The most notable finding was that 25 percent of respondents indicated that speeding is their number one safety concern on the road.  The second most common concern was drivers distracted by cell phone use – both talking and texting.

Of course, these findings serve to support the views of myself and other proponents of radar speed signs who believe these displays are often the best solution to traffic calming problems. Unlike static speed limit signs or flashing lights, radar speed signs redirect driver attention back to their own driving speeds. And unlike speed bumps, they do not impede emergency vehicles, increase traffic noise or simply divert traffic onto other streets. And for those opposed to “big brother” traffic calming tactics, radar speed signs typically work without the use of cameras and the associated threat of ticketing.

Other results of the survey include:

• While cell phone conversations were cited as the most serious distraction for drivers, more than 27 percent of respondents said that they still talked on a hand-held cell phone while driving in the past 30 days.
• 20 percent continue to text or email while driving despite the known dangers and laws.
• A total of 31.5 percent of respondents indicated that they talk less on cell phones since the hands-free law went into effect.
• Nearly 55 percent reported having been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was talking or texting on a cell phone.
• More than 86 percent of respondents supported sobriety checkpoints.
• More than 96 percent of respondents reported that they always wear a seat belt when driving.

Why radar speed signs work

We know they work. Over the past dozen years or so, a variety of studies have shown that radar speed signs are effective at slowing cars. In some of these studies, they rank the highest among traffic-calming strategies being tested – better than rumble strips, flashing lights and even speed bumps.

Even more impressive is the fact that research has shown that they continue to slow cars even years after first being installed. I remember speaking with a campus police chief at a prestigious east coast university who told me their SpeedCheck signs have been dependably slowing cars for the past five years. I remember that his inflection expressed puzzlement. He knew they worked, he just didn’t know why. Now we do.

A recent report entitled Distracted Drivers In School Zones, sponsored by Safe Kids USA, sheds a spotlight on what is most likely the answer – radar speed signs directly address issues related to driver distraction.

In their study, researchers had trained observers set along a variety of school zones to record evidence of driver distraction. If they saw a driver talking on a cell phone, they wrote it down. If they saw a driver turning around to talk to a child in the back seat, they wrote it down. At the end of the study, they found that one in six drivers traveling through an active school zone was in a state of distraction. One in six!

SpeedCheck signs break through the distractions and serve to refocus driver attention on his or her speed. And that distraction-busting phenomenon never wears out. A passing driver sees their posted speed displayed on the sign face and immediately reacts.

That’s not true for other traffic-calming devices. Rumble strips make noise but don’t give driver’s the same kind of direct feedback that makes them slow down. Either does school zone signs, cross walks, speed bumps or anything else except perhaps a policeman aiming a radar gun. And unlike traffic officers, SpeedCheck radar speed signs don’t mind working 24/7 or require lunch breaks. 

If you are at all interested in pedestrian safety issues or are looking for possible funding for your traffic calming project, you should know about the federal Safe Routes To School (SRTS) program. The idea is to improve the ability for children to walk or ride their bikes to school. Not a bad idea for a generation that has gotten used to being chauffeured from one place to another. The program offers training, education, events and funding.

Of course, a big part of that funding goes towards grants that states can use to improve traffic safety. I recently came across an article that explained how the city of New Hope, Minnesota did just that.

With an SRTS grant of $31,200 the Minnesota Department of Transportation implemented a variety of actions to slow traffic around its Sunny Hollow Elementary School. Since the school is surrounded by busy streets, few of the students walk or bike to school. During the morning commute, local traffic is congested with parents driving to school in order to deliver their kids to the front of the building.

While a portion of the grant will be used for training and education, the majority of the funds will be used to purchase three radar speed signs. The signs will be installed next to current speed limit signs and are intended to remind drivers to check their own speed and make sure they are within the limits.

Sounds simple, but it works. A variety of government studies have shown that radar speed displays are particularly effective around neighborhood streets and school yards.

Next step? The city plans to apply for additional grants to fund similar projects near other elementary schools in the state. 

I HEARD A disturbing statistic a while back that I can’t seem to get out of my mind. Information Display Company had loaned some radar speed signs to Feet First, a great organization all about getting kids (and their parents) to walk rather than drive to and from school. One of Feet First’s directors told me that half of school children hit by cars in school zones are actually hit by parents of students at the same school. I would think that of all the drivers on the road during school hours, these drivers would be most cognoscente of the potential hazards and therefore the most cautious. Apparently not.

Then I came across a new report just put out by Safe Kids USA that might explain this phenomenon. The report, entitled Distracted Drivers In School Zones: A National Report, highlights some statistics regarding driving behavior – particularly in school zones. What they found was that school zone drivers are often distracted and distractions have a real impact on safe driving. Consider some of these statistics highlighted in the report:

• It takes about .25 seconds for an average driver to identify a road hazard (such as a child running out into the street)
• It takes another .25 seconds for the brain to process the situation
• And another .25 seconds for the driver to determine his/her course of action

As the report lays out, if the driver is traveling 30 mph in a school zone, his car will go 33 feet before he even reacts to the hazard.  THEN…

The car will travel another 33 feet by the time the driver applies the brakes…

and another 38 feet before the car actually stops.

Total braking distance from the moment the child is spotted till the car stops…104 feet.

That is IF the road is dry and IF visibility is clear and IF the driver is totally attentive.

On the other hand, if he or she is distracted  – say, by a cell phone call, or a GPS device, or a talk show host, or grooming, or kids in the back seat, or…Well, let’s just say, stopping distance can be greatly larger.

The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that, in 2003, cell phone use by drivers was a factor in 636,000 crashes involving 12,000 major injuries and 2,600 deaths. Now, add to this other distractions like eating or reaching for that CD cover under the seat.

One more quick bit of information. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a report that highlighted the impact that the speed of a car has on the severity of injuries once an accident does occur. According to the report, only 5 percent of pedestrians would die if hit by a car traveling 20 mph or less. This fatality rate jumps 8X – to 40 percent – when the car is traveling just 10 mph faster, and 80 percent when traveling 40 mph.

So if there was a way to slow drivers just a bit – say from 30 to 20 mph – while driving through a school zone AND a way to draw driver attention from distractions back to their own driving speed, we can make a real impact on the number of accidents and the severity of injuries that occur in school zones.

And that, in a nutshell, is the reason why studies show radar speed signs to be so effective at increasing pedestrian safety in school zones. Long after speed limit signs and school zone posting have become all but invisible to passing drivers, radar speed signs continue to grab driver attention and refocus attention away from distractions and back on their own driving speed.

I really like Feet First’s idea of getting our children back in the habit of walking and riding their bikes to school. I like it even better when I know we are doing all we can to increase pedestrian safety around school zones. The evidence clearly points us in the required direction – eliminating driver distractions and reducing speeds.

Speed bumps. Just say the word in a crowd and chances are you’ll soon start arguments that’ll make today’s town hall meetings seem sedate. While most everyone agrees speeding cars pose a real danger to school children and other pedestrians, there is a growing contingent of people who are fervently opposed to the use of speed bumps.

While protests against these axle-grinding obstructions continue to top the news throughout the U.K., stateside opposition has also begun to make headlines. From Los Angeles to Tampa Bay; Salt Lake City to Mesa Grande, newspaper articles highlight the fact that citizens across the country are up in arms about the disconcerting use of speed bumps by local governments looking to slow traffic.

There are now social network groups such as The Anti Speed Bump Club on Facebooks and organizations like The National Motorists Association and CRASH (Citizens Against Speed Humps), web sites such as No Speed Bumps.com, and bloggers such as Richard Layman in Washington D.C. and Cartype in Chicago. There are forums and essays, commentators and editorials – all who’ve had enough with this antiquated and obstructive means of slowing traffic.

Do speed bumps work? Sure, for the 1 to 3 feet of space that they take up on the road. But according to several government studies, drivers often try to make up the “lost time” or just relieve their frustrations over their use by speeding up between each bump.

Other reasons that a growing number of people are saying “no” to speed bumps in their neighborhood include:

1. They impede emergency vehicles
2. They simply divert traffic to streets without the obstructions
3. They increase traffic noise
4. They reduce fuel efficiency
5. They increase pollution
6. They ruin car suspension
7. They can be a hazard to wheelchairs and bicyclists

The troubling part of all this is that there are traffic-calming solutions that are more effective and less troublesome. In some cases, simple changes to street design can have a huge impact on slowing cars. Radar speed signs have also proven to be highly effective and highly rated by neighborhoods where they are employed.

Bottom line: speed bumps are on the outs – and should be. They represent an antiquated solution to a legitimate problem – one where alternative solutions offer more effective results without the considerable side effects.

Choosing the Right Radar Speed Sign

1.  Displays with built-in data collection features can be valuable, saving staff time in conducting future studies or proving effectiveness.

2.  Choose sign features based upon need. In some cases, simple signs may be best. Additional features such as data collection may increase technical issues that require management. Also, additional features typically come with additional costs.

3.  Choose a sign that provides a settable speed threshold limit. This prevents drivers from testing to see how high they can get the display to register.

I would like to add a few to this list.

1. Choose signs that look official. There are lots of models out on the market today. Some simply look wrong.  MUTCD provides design guidelines that govern everything from the color and shape of the sign to the size and style of lettering. Even if your application does not require MUTCD compliance, the effectiveness of the display is contingent upon driver perceptions of its legitimacy.
2. Vandal resistance. Displays will get abused. Choose a radar speed sign that is resistant to being hit, slammed and shot at. Solid-state designs are best. Shields protecting the display are important.
3. Easy to repair. If a display is damaged, it’s important that a non expert can easily fix it - in the field. Some radar speed signs require that the display be taken down and sent back to the factory. Others can be easily repaired right from where they are mounted.
4. Clear, visible and focused. Today’s top rated display signs offer designs that make them clearly visible only to THOSE DRIVERS BEING TARGETED. Poorly designed signs can easily distract unintended drivers.

The Bellevue study has several tips for radar speed sign placement. These include:

1. 

   Mounting considerations - radar speed signs

   Set up the radar speed sign at a location that has a minimum distance of 300 feet of clear sight between the display and the drivers.

2. Choose a spot with a convenient power source nearby. If this is not possible, consider solar powered displays.
3. Solar powered signs work best where light levels are adequate for the sign application.
4. Chose a spot where the light from the display will not disrupt homeowners.
5. Avoid obstructions. Try to avoid locations where parked cars and other objects may obstruct the view of oncoming motorists.

Once the location for the radar speed sign is chosen. The Bellevue report provides the following tips on installation:

1. Install the sign at an appropriate angle so that the radar can pick up passing motorists (specified by the manufacturer).
2. Mount with concrete footing.
3. Install at a minimum height of seven feet from the bottom edge of the sign to the ground.
4. Include a posted speed limit sign above the radar speed sign.

We really owe the city of Bellevue our gratitude for sharing this information and personal experience with the rest of us concerned with traffic safety. Their report shares important data that serves as an excellent guide for others looking to slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety.