Safer School Zones No Matter The Cost

When cars are speeding in local school zones, radar speedsigns are a natural response. But what about when there’s no room in the budget for them?

The city of Toronto has four SafePace radar signs mounted on trailers and rotated weekly throughout the city. Midtown residents want more. They want the signs installed on streets around two local schools in the neighborhood to stop cars from speeding and ensure kids can get to and from school safely. And they’re willing to pay for them.

Councilor Christin Carmichael Greb said she’s received numerous calls from school councils, resident associations, and even individuals willing to help foot the bill for the SafePace speed signs.

The city is considering whether they can accept public donations to fund the speed display signs, which have been effective on other city streets in slowing cars down. While the signs would be purchased with private funds, they would still be managed by the city who would rotate them on streets around the schools.

The president of a local community association thinks fundraisers should be held for radar signs and other safety solutions in every ward in the city. For more impoverished wards, he proposed raising funds from other parts of the city.

Read the full story here.

Are you using the data your sign offers?

All of the SafePace speed signs offer optional data collection that allows you to keep track of when cars are driving, how they are driving, and when and where they are violating speed limits.

Can this data help you make better decisions for your roads? How can you use the data from your radar signs to help you analyze driver behavior at different times of the day, week, or year? And most importantly, how can you use that data to make your roads safer and prevent accidents? Learn more about the SafePace software and why you should be collecting traffic data to help make your roads safer.

Back to School Safety

As students across the country head back to the classroom, how can we ensure that they can get there- and back home- safely?

Active transportation such as bicycling and walking to school is increasing but is safety?

Learn about the challenges to school safety and why traffic calming solutions such as flashing beacons, radar signs,and speed cushions may be the crucial first step every city should consider before education, encouragement, or enforcement can be effective. Read our August Traffic Calmer and help your school have a safer year. What you read may just help save a life.

Be Careful, It's Raining! When Are You Most at Risk on the Roads?

We've all heard that refrain and variations of it dozens of times.

"Be careful driving, it's slippery out when it rains."

"The snow's coming down hard, stay alert out there."

"It's dark out, pay attention to the roads."

Of course, those statements are all true. When it's raining, snowing, sleeting, or dark out, you should certainly stay alert and drive slowly and carefully.

But what about when it's the middle of the day, it's dry out, and the sun is shining? No need to be cautious then, right?

Think again.

NHTSA statistics show that surprisingly, most accidents happen during the daylight hours in normal weather conditions. In 2010 (the most recent year with data available), there were nearly 15,000 road fatalities in daytime under normal weather conditions. In contrast, there were around 2,000 in the rain both during the day and night and around 750 in the snow including day and night hours.

Why is driving in perfectly bright weather conditions on roads that aren't slippery or wet dangerous?

Perhaps because people tend to let their guard down and assume they don't need to be particularly alert when there are no weather or lighting issues affecting the roads.

It's during these hours that traffic calming is the most important. Speed trailers, radar signs, or flashing beacons are all effective in reminding drivers to focus on the roads, even when there is no apparent danger. Speed humps, tables, and cushions compel drivers to slow down and save lives in the process.

When everything seems fine and drivers forget to focus on the roads, traffic calming makes sure they drive safely. Radar signs or speed humps on your roads can help avoid accidents before they happen.

A Trailer by Any Other Name

SafePace Cruiser LT shown with SafePace 800 rotating sign

Some people think speed trailers are a ubiquitous term for all radar speed signs and speed display signs. They're not. Speed trailers are actually mobile devices that are used to mount speed signs for portable use. They are a versatile traffic calming tool and can be towed on the back of any vehicle and parked wherever speeding is a concern.

What sets the Traffic Logix SafePace Cruiser LT speed trailers apart? Well for one, as the photo on the left shows, the Cruiser LT includes a cool little feature that lets you rotate your sign either vertically or horizontally. But it doesn't end there. The Cruiser LT includes a whole host of features and options that make it the ideal accessory to help you use your speed signs more efficiently in slowing traffic down.

Where should you use your trailer? 

Do speed trailers really work? 

Learn the answers to these questions in our February newsletter, Product Spotlight: SafePace Cruiser LT Speed Trailers.

There's a Better Way

Many cities are turning to speed cameras for a quick solution to stop speeders. It seems like a foolproof solution. But can technology make mistakes? You may be surprised by the answer.

Daniel Doty, a lawyer in Baltimore, MD, recently received a citation for speeding at 38 mph in a 25 mph zone. The citation included photos and a link to a 3 second video, both of which show that his Mazda was actually sitting still at a red light. Mr. Doty is contesting the $40 charge, but the repercussions are staggering. Thousands of speed tickets are issued each day. How many of them are mistakes?

Apparently speed cameras, thought to be infallible, are capable of errors. But when they do work, do they really work? Do they create changes in driver behavior?

Speed cameras may be effective in curbing behavior for the short term but they also create resentment, which may lead to drivers driving less safely instead of more safely on roads not outfitted with cameras. One organization in the UK claims that speed cameras actually do cause worse driver behavior. Is there a better way to slow drivers for the long run?

Unlike speed cameras, speed display signs simply alert drivers without penalizing them, trusting them to respond appropriately to the reminder. Speed signs create self-motivation and promote alertness that stays with drivers as they continue on new roads.

Radar signs provide accurate speeds and effective, long-term speed control. Do speed cameras?

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety

Pedestrian safety and traffic calming have an ongoing, interconnected relationship. Concerns for pedestrian safety are often the impetus behind traffic calming, whether it is on a municipal road, in a private community, or on a corporate campus. In turn, the goal of traffic calming is to slow cars down and make cars safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Pedestrians walk past SafePace 400 speed display sign

Each year, pedestrian fatalities comprise about 12% of traffic fatalities in the US.  A NHTSA report released in August 2012 reports 4,280 pedestrian fatalities in 2010 and an estimated 70,000 pedestrian injuries. While the number of pedestrian fatalities has decreased in the past decade, from 2009 to 2010 it has increased by 4%. Final pedestrian fatality data is not readily available for 2011 or 2012, however, a report estimating fatalities for the first quarter of 2012 shows higher overall fatality rates, which very likely translates to higher pedestrian fatalities as well. The 2010 pedestrian fatalities account for the largest percentage of total traffic fatalities in over ten years.

Percentage of traffic fatalities that took the lives of pedestrians

Across the US, a pedestrian is killed in a car accident every two hours and injured every eight minutes. Each of these deaths and injuries is preventable. 

NHTSA reports that of the 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2010, approximately 23% were age 15 or younger. Safekids.org, a nationwide child safety organization, documents that the highest percentage of fatalities among pedestrians age 14 and under was between 4 pm and 8 pm, the hours when children are out of school. 74% of these fatalities occurred at non-intersection locations.  In addition, the last five years have seen a 25% increase in injuries among 16-19 year olds. On average, 61 kids are injured by cars every day. These injuries are avoidable with the right planning and foresight. The responsibility to prevent these injuries is dual; cities need to implement solutions to slow cars in areas where children walk and schools and families need to educate children about how to navigate traffic safely.

A national initiative to encourage children to walk to school, spearheaded by the national Safe Routes to School program, has helped get more students walking or cycling to their schools. In addition to the physical benefits of consistent exercise, the increase may also be protecting children from car-related injuries. Safekids.org reports that policies that increase the number of pedestrians and cyclists actually improve their safety.  

Traffic calming interventions have been proven to reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians. In a CDC study entitled Reducing Childhood Pedestrian Injuries, the CDC lists traffic calming measures such as street narrowing or speed humps as a valuable tool to protect pedestrians and bicyclists. Flashing beacons have been found to slow cars around schools by 5-7 mph and are a good solution for school zones or any area with high pedestrian traffic. Driver feedback signs can be used to slow cars by alerting drivers while dynamic signs such as the SafePace 600 and SafePace 700 signs can issue different messages based on driver behavior.   The newly released SafePace 800 can also be programmed to show a full matrix graphic such as pedestrians crossing and can be used as a speed display sign as well. 

A key first step to initiating a solution is to identify the specific problem to address. There are many different safety issues that affect pedestrian and bicyclist safety and a solution that works for one issue may not be appropriate for another. Stay posted for a more in depth discussion about how to create a program to protect pedestrians on your streets.

Military Traffic Calming

Military and air force bases often use traffic calming to ensure healthy flow of traffic and to protect military professionals and their families. Traffic Logix solutions have been installed in tens of military, air force, and navy bases both in the US and abroad. The solutions most purchased by military bases are our rubber speed humps, rubber speed tables, and SafePace 100 low-cost speed signs.

Our rubber speed humps are often used to enhance gate security at military bases, compelling drivers to slow down as they drive over the humps toward the entrance gate. The flat-topped speed tables are a popular choice for military traffic calming on base roads. The rubber speed tables slow vehicles less aggressively than speed humps or bumps, allowing traffic to continue to flow at 20-30 mph. Traffic Logix rubber speed humps and speed tables are both GSA approved and can be purchased by military bases at discounted GSA rates.

The bestselling SafePace 100 speed sign is also a popular choice on military and air force bases due to its low cost and  portability. The compact speed sign displays vehicle speed in brightly lid LEDs, reminding drivers to stay alert and slow down. A user-friendly software interface lets you program the sign including choosing at what speed the sign digits or built in strobe light should flash to warn drivers.The lightweight speed sign is energy efficient and offers optional battery power that allows the sign to function autonomously for 2-4 weeks.Universal mounting brackets can be installed on several poles, allowing you to rotate the sign for use at multiple locations.

Traffic Logix also offers flashing beacons and school zone flashing signs that can be used to protect children at military base schools. The beacons and signs can be programmed to operate only during school hours and include 365 day scheduling so you can specify when and how they operate. Flashing beacons and school zone signs have been shown to significantly decrease traffic around schools, protecting children as they arrive and depart from schools.


Traffic safety is a growing concern on military roads. Military traffic calming can help make your base a safer place.

Psychological vs. Physical Traffic Calming

Rubber Speed Hump

When you need to slow traffic down, there are two routes you can take. You can use psychological traffic calming such as radar speed display signs, which use the feedback loop to remind people of their speed and encourage them to slow down. The other option is physical traffic calming such as speed humps, which are a physical deterrent that leave the driver no alternative but to slow down.

Radar Speed Display Sign

While radar speed display signs and speed trailers are growing in popularity, physical solutions such as speed humps can actually offer a low-cost, flexible, environmentally friendly alternative. For an in-depth discussion about the benefits of rubber traffic calming, read our July Traffic Calmer newsletter. Whichever route you take, our solutions can help you make your streets safer.