PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
New Jersey ranks ninth in total population and
is the most densely populated state in the nation. Its vast system of
heavily traveled roadways accommodate more than 60 billion miles of
travel annually. Between 1995 and 1999, pedestrian fatalities accounted
for 21 percent of the motor vehicle crash deaths occurring on New Jersey's
highways. This compares to an average of 14 percent nationwide. Population
groups at highest risk are children and the elderly, with individuals
under the age of 19 accounting for 43 percent of pedestrian fatalities
and individuals over 65 comprising 35 percent of fatalities.
A recent survey by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign
indicates that the majority of motor vehicles traveling in school zones
exceed the speed limit. One third of drivers surveyed admitted to driving
at 30 miles per hour or higher through school zones, increasing children's
risk of death in a crash by 40 percent. A New Jersey survey of 320 cars
traveling in school zones indicated that 13.7 percent routinely drove
30 miles per hour or higher while children were present. During 2000,
a total of 25 pedestrians died in motor vehicle crashes in Union County,
New Jersey. Of this number, 3 were under age 15, and 10 were over 51
years old.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to decrease pedestrian injuries
and fatalities among elementary students in Union County and specifically
in the City of Roselle, a coalition headed by the New Jersey State Safety
Council and New Jersey SAFE KIDS along with the Roselle Board of Education
Gifted and Talented, Federal Express Corporation and the New Jersey
Division of Highway Safety Program developed SAFE KIDS Walk This
Way 2000. Primary objectives of the program are to:
- Launch a widespread pedestrian safety initiative
focusing on enhanced enforcement, education and engineering
- Mobilize the community to address pedestrian safety
- Identify key improvements vital to child pedestrian safety in Roselle
- Implement effective environmental and engineering changes
- Conduct a community public awareness and outreach program
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
SAFE KIDS Walk This Way was designed
to coincide with the national Walk Your Child to School Day,
on October 4, 2000. Six weeks prior to the event, Harrison Elementary
School administrators conducted assemblies, classroom presentations
and safety projects to familiarize students and their families with
the countywide pedestrian safety problem. Additional program activities
include:
- Conducting a highly visible speed enforcement
campaign in targeted school zones during school hours
- Presenting in-school programs on pedestrian safety to more than
400 elementary students
- Designing a public awareness campaign to support National Walk
Our Children To School Day
- Launching a media event announcing Walk Our Children to School
Day activities, local and national speed survey data, task force
plans and the enforcement effort
- Forging collaborative partnerships with city/county officials, the
New Jersey SAFE KIDS Coalition and Federal Express
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