School's out for the summer but school zone safety is always a top concern for law enforcement, civic leaders and, perhaps to the greatest extent, parents and students. Beyond the crimes that can occur within school buildings, there is a need to keep the surrounding areas safe as well.
Speed enforcement is a major challenge in the school zones, with most offenses occurring at drop off and pick up times, resulting in increased risk of injury to students.
Recent national data continues to underscore the risk around schools. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that between 2011 and 2020, 304 school-age children (5–18 years old) were killed in school-transportation–related crashes, with most fatalities occurring during school travel times. Broader pedestrian safety trends are equally concerning: pedestrian deaths in the U.S. have increased by more than 60% since 2009, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, with speed, distracted driving and failure to yield among the primary contributing factors—risks that are magnified in congested school zones.
Another challenge is knowing what vehicles have permission to enter campus and which ones do not. This is particularly difficult for schools with limited staff and resources.
It is no wonder school administrators are turning to technology to increase safety in school zones.
License plate readers that are mounted near the entrances and exits of a school capture the plate numbers of passing vehicles in any weather, day and night. This data is instantly compared against white lists and hot lists. For example, a white list could be comprised of every vehicle allowed on campus. If a vehicle tries to enter that is not on the list, an alert is sent instantly to the police for immediate interdiction. Hot lists contain suspect vehicles, sex offender lists and watch lists.
Fixed cameras in school zones can also alert law enforcement by measuring the vehicle’s speed between two fixed points. An alert is sent in real time to the ticketing officer waiting outside the speed zone.
Keeping school zones safe is a tremendous challenge for school districts and law enforcement. Leveraging technology like the ELSAG Street Sentry is just one way to increase safety.
To find out more ways license plate readers reduce vehicle-related crime, contact a specialist today.