Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas

December Celebrations Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah, or just Life, December is a busy, happy, joy-filled season. For traffic engineers and police professionals across the world, it’s a critical responsibility to ensure it stays that way. The perils of the road all year long are exacerbated during these hectic weeks. Tensions are high as everyone rushes to get everything done on time and no one wants joy to turn into tragedy.  Holiday Hazards People are rushing to do gift shopping, celebrate with friends, and plan upcoming festivities. While the increasing popularity of online shopping may have decreased traffic to stores, it’s also increased the number of delivery trucks on local roads. In addition, many children have time off of school, increasing the number of pedestrians on streets. As distracted driving has become a rampant issue in recent years, it’s an additional factor to consider on holiday-clogged roads. What Can You Do? Promoting safe driving on holiday roads should ideally start long before the holidays. Having a traffic calming program in place with driver feedback sign, speed humps, and bike lanes where you need them can ensure that your roads are well equipped for the holiday rush. Even with well engineered streets though, the perils of holiday driving can still be a concern. Educational campaigns can be a great way to offset existing traffic calming by reminding drivers of the importance of driving sober, focused, and within speed limits. What's being done? When it comes to educating drivers and pedestrians about street safety during the holidays, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Many resources exist to help you along the way. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a free app called SaferRide that helps impaired drivers get a taxi or call a friend with one click. In Seattle, a holiday pedestrian safety campaign has a wide array of ads and posters to encourage both drivers and pedestrians to exercise extra caution during the holidays while an air force base in Florida has an annual holiday traffic safety campaign Traffic Safety Marketing, a division of NHTSA, also has powerful marketing materials available to help you protect road users during the holidays.

Webinar

Ever wonder the difference between speed humps and bumps? Or what kind of streets are best to put traffic calming solutions on?

Traffic Logix recently hosted part 1 in a 2 part traffic calming webinar series. Presented by Tim Harpst, former ITE president, the webinar discussed some of the traffic calming solutions that are popular on today’s streets, defining the differences between them and the pros and cons of each.

A recorded version of the webinar can be viewed here.      .

The Q&A’s posed by participants are available on the Traffic Logix site at http://trafficlogix.com/media/webinars.

The second part of the webinar will take place in February and will discuss radar signs as well as other solutions for safer roads. Check out part 1 on our site and you can still register to attend part 2 live 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.

Hypnotized Behind The Wheel

Every day, thousands of drivers drive hypnotized. No, it's not a new craze- it's a real phenomenon, and it's probably happened to you. Do you ever mistakenly drive in the wrong direction because that's how you usually go? Have you ever pulled into your driveway and wondered how you got there? That's because you experienced highway hypnosis.

Strange as it seems, highway hypnosis is more common than it seems- and can lead to dangerous results. Check out our November Traffic Calmer and read about what highway hypnosis is, what to do about it, and some key strategies for prevention. Learn how blinking leds on driver feedback signs can help return drivers to the present with a bright visual alert.

The Lightweight Sign with Full Size Impact

There are some radar speed signs, like the bestselling SafePace 100 radar sign that offer a compact, lightweight solution to speeding cars. While small signs are economical and may be ideal for HOA or campus roads, the 11" digits can be hard to see on larger roadways or for higher speed traffic.

Other signs like the full size SafePace line offer full size digits that are easier to see but are heavy and can only be used at multiple location with a trailer unit.

The new SafePace 450 driver feedback sign offers a synergy of both kinds of radar signs. It boasts lightweight design but still offers full size digits. It also offers several features until now only offered with the SafePace 100 speed indicator sign such as battery power for autonomo
us functioning and universal mounting brackets.

Learn more about the SafePace 450 speed sign in our Product Spotlight October newsletter.

On busy streets shared by stores, cafes, and residences, how can people be kept safe?

Downtown areas can be busy hubs for many types of traffic. Cars, bicycles, and pedestrians often share limited space, all trying to get where they need to go as quickly as they can.

Can traffic calming work in downtown areas? Are businesses negatively affected when cars are compelled to drive slower by speed humps or radar speed signs? Learn the answers to these questions and more information on downtown traffic calming in our September Traffic Calmer newsletter.

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.