Speed & Safety

¤      Speed is a contributing factor in approximately 30% of fatal accidents.¹ 

¤      Children are eight times more likely to die if hit by a motor vehicle going 30 mph vs. one going at 20 mph or less.²

¤      Pedestrian injuries are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages five to fourteen. Each year 650 pedestrians ages fourteen and under die in traffic accidents.²

¤      In 2001, more than 47,300 children ages fourteen and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries.³

¤      Speeding in residential neighborhoods represents the single greatest complaint to police departments and city council representatives throughout the United States.³

¤      In a nationwide survey of 27 cities conducted in 2000, National Safe Kids Campaign found two-thirds of drivers exceeded the posted speed limits in school zones during the 30 minutes before schools started and 30 minutes after dismissal.²

¤      NHTSA provides suggestions to help communities develop a school transportation safety program.  The organization believes local government should work towards passing legislation that increases penalties for speeding in school zones.¹

¤      Speeding extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle.  A vehicle being driven at 30 mph requires more stopping distance than a vehicle being driven at 20 mph.¹

¤      A car being driven at 20 mph requires 69 feet to stop.¹

¤      A car being driven at 30 mph requires 123 feet to stop.¹

     Sources: 

1.        National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

2.        National Safe Kids Campaign.

3.        Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25 (KKAD25)