Taken from Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) newsletter.
The Queensland government has earmarked 100 school zones to receive flashing school zone signs to improve safety for students, including 13 schools in the Sunshine Coast region. Main Roads and Road Safety Minister Mark Bailey said the announcement was part of the $12 million commitment in the first Palaszczuk state Budget to install an extra 300 flashing signs over three years to enhance road safety for students.
“Another 100 school zones are set to benefit from flashing lights, improving the safety of Queensland students travelling to and from school,” Mr Bailey said. “The flashing signs have been a resounding success since the Labor Government introduced them in 2011, with more than 600 installed in school zones across Queensland.”
Mr Bailey said the $12 million road safety program continues to go from strength to strength. “Flashing lights will be installed at schools all over Queensland including Nambour Special School and Mapleton State School,” he said. “Students arriving and leaving school can be preoccupied and unpredictable around roads and cars. That’s why we’re committed to improve road safety surrounding schools. Flashing school lights alert and remind drivers they are entering a school zone and need to slow down.”
“A number of important factors are taken into account when assessing school sites for flashing lights, such as the accident history, traffic volumes, pedestrian movements, the speed limit and visibility. “This isn’t something we can do on our own, we need motorists to be alert and adjust their speed when driving through school zones.”
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