Neighborhoods with schools and family parks need “Children At Play” signs to let drivers know that children use the area. Parks with children’s swings and other playground equipment in particular need these signs as reminders. Here are important reasons to invest in Children At Play signs.
The leading cause of death among children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is motor vehicle accidents. In 2016 over 700 American children under 13 years old were killed in automobile accidents while over 128,000 more were injured. Many of these fatalities, could have been prevented had the children been protected with a safety seat belt. About a third of the children killed in 2016 traffic incidents were not buckled up.
On a global level, about 1.35 million people overall die each year as a result of traffic collisions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization has found that these accidents have cost countries 3 percent of their gross domestic product.
Accidents still happen despite signage, but it’s clear from various studies that signs do help cut down on accidents. A 2015 study found that signs depicting movement do a better job at communicating with drivers. Researchers believe that using symbols depicting higher dynamism is the key to raising risk perception among drivers. Video was also used for the study as the eye movement of participants was captured by sensors. Eye-tracking from the study revealed that participants reacted more quickly to active signs. Ultimately, it suggests that drivers pay closer attention to their surroundings when reminded with action signs.
Any place where children are present needs a public awareness campaign with traffic signs to remind motorists to drive slowly. The best way to prevent accidents is to create an awareness that traffic needs to remain slow in the area, much like residential areas are treated. Speed bumps and signs that warn about fines for speeding are usually effective at maintaining slow traffic. Grade schools need to be surrounded with multiple signs in the neighborbood that make children a top of mind topic.
The combination of various yellow caution signs including Children At Play signs can help raise awareness instantly with drivers that they need to watch out for running children. Contact Zumar at our Arizona, California or Washington location to learn more about how signs make streets safer.