On The Road with John Williamson: Road safety around schools needs addressing

Creating and enforcing lower speed limits around schools, during defined times of the day, is likely to get wide public acceptance, John Williamson says.

OPINION:

School speed limits

In the past couple of months we've seen a ramping up of the "Road to Zero'"strategy and a sense that public buy-in is going to be hard won.

It's good to take a step back to see how we've gone so far, to reassess and to recognise that ownership of a national strategy like that, is not just vested in those who created it.

We have seen a step back from the proposed blanket 80km/h speed limit across all state highways in Northland, based on a public outcry at high levels. Creating speed limits that don't make sense according to the road, just will not work. The emphasis has now shifted to speed limit reviews around schools and in urban areas.

Making roads around schools safer is an easy mark. The congestion that we all see at either end of the school day is created by the traffic to and from schools. Schools are populated by vulnerable people- our children and grandchildren.

They can be quick and unpredictable, especially when they spy their mates who they haven't seen since yesterday.

The school roading environment is chaotic, with school buses and cars pulling in and out after picking up, or off-loading their cargo.

Schools can be reluctant to take responsibility for kids who are not on the grounds. Variable speed zones with flashing lights need to be controlled by the school and teacher-supervised school road crossing patrols need training and supervision. This responsibility, though, is taken seriously and participants are well recognised for their contribution.

This chaotic environment only happens during defined times of the school day and the potential for self-policing and formal traffic enforcement of speed limits and driver behaviour, is very real. Creating and enforcing lower speed limits around schools, during defined times of the day, is likely to get wide public acceptance.

While the school roading environment appears to be chaotic, in real terms it is relatively safe, because of the combined parental, school and public interest in keeping our kids safe. Some education and general road safety training opportunities emerge from this new emphasis.

It is very difficult to get identifiable statistics about deaths and serious injuries (DSIs) of children around schools. The best I could get is a February 2021 report by Massey University called Road Traffic Injuries In Children aged 1-14 years .

This report refers largely to children as passengers in cars but it also indicates that child pedestrian DSI's have been relatively stable over the past 10 years but have significantly dropped from the turn of the century. So what's the big problem?

To me there is a great opportunity to start road safety education as a real-life interest at a young age. Children taught about road safety in school patrols is a great start and rewarding them encourages a greater interest.

We know from focus group research that dilatory drivers take note of their children if backseat drivers reminded them about seat belt wearing, or going through red lights or speeding through road works.

There is a recently published children's picture book about a STOP/GO road worker and her daily issues with some drivers, as she attends to her colleagues who are working at the roadside. The book was published to coincide with the recent road safety week and is sponsored by Beca and Waka Kotahi. It is designed to open up conversations in schools and in homes as well as in the car about making our roads safer.

As well as reviewing and changing speed limits around schools, there is a great strategic opportunity to get kids talking about road safety and the Road To Zero.