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Abstract

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, through a variety of tools, seeks to enable children to walk and bicycle safely to school. One such tool recently implemented through a program of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) is the use of speed feedback signs (“Your Speed” signs) to reduce vehicle speeds in school zones. The North Carolina DOT has no policy or standard for the use of these signs within school zones, and research illustrating the value of using permanently installed “Your Speed” signs in school zones is sparse. The Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program (ECIPP) applied for SRTS funding to install these signs as part of its education, encouragement, and enforcement project. The North Carolina DOT therefore initiated a study on the use of the signs in conjunction with ECIPP's larger SRTS project. Significant findings of this study include a 3.0 mph (p < .0001) to 4.5 mph (p < .0001) reduction in speed sustained over a 12-month postinstallation period, suggesting that responses to “Your Speed” signs may not diminish as drivers become accustomed to the signs’ presence. On the basis of these promising results, the North Carolina DOT is considering additional research to inform policy considerations fully for the future use of such signs. This research may be useful for organizations seeking innovative SRTS program tools to improve speed compliance in school zones, contemplating the use of speed feedback signs in school zones but needing information on their effectiveness, and having interest in a different way to evaluate their own SRTS projects.

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Use of “Your Speed” Changeable Message Signs in School Zones

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