UK School District on New Speed Limit: “Twenty is Plenty”

April 20, 2012 —

In Newcastle, UK, lawmakers are enforcing a new “Twenty is Plenty” campaign to combat speeding drivers in school zones. St. Chad’s Primary was the first facility of several in the district to install Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) on the streets surrounding the school. SIDs enforce speed limit signs by flashing a warning message in red that alerts the driver and pedestrians that a car is going too fast. In Staffordshire county, the new legislation dictates that SIDs will flash when a car registers as going over twenty miles per hour.

School zones should have “Watch Out For Children”
signs posted to keep kids safe.

Supporters of the implementation of SIDs and a stricter speed limit say they hope the campaign will get motorists to be more aware of themselves and the strength of their vehicles. Speeding vehicles put children and other pedestrians in immediate danger, especially in school zones like St. Chad’s where young students are walking, biking, or being dropped off on the blocks that surround the primary.

The former 30-MPH speed limit will remain during hours with less schoolchildren foot traffic. However, from 8:15am to 9am and 2:45pm to 4pm every day, the speed limit will drop to twenty. Four other schools are also working to implement SIDs and a new speed limit, including Hugo Meynell Primary, Loggerheads, Tittensor First Schol and Colwich Primary. Students throughout the district have voiced support for the move toward pedestrian safety. Jack Finney, a fifth grader at St. Chad’s, told the Staffordshire paper that he “think(s) the signs are a good idea because if you are only driving at twenty miles per hour, then no one can get killed if they are hit by a car.”

While it’s always uplifting to garner support from such a young citizen, Finney’s remark is not entirely factual. A car going as slowly as seven miles per hour has the potential to cause fatal injuries in a pedestrian collision. Automobiles going slower than seven miles per hour can also be dangerous, but fatalities from such slow vehicles are usually linked to weight rather than force or inertia.

Programs like Newcastle’s “Twenty is Plenty” campaign are crucial for promoting traffic safety in school zones, but complacency behind the wheel will always be an unavoidable threat. The only real solution is for drivers to be focused and take heed of the precautions that are taken to ensure a safe road for everyone.

There’s no need to focus all of your precautions on the young’uns- give Gram and Gramps some extra safety provision too with this humorous “Grandparents At Play” sign.

– R. Sapon-White

Category: News, Regulations