Is a lack of crossing guards making your children more likely to suffer injury in pedestrian accidents? Some East Nashville parents are speaking out about busy intersections their children have to cross to get to school.
One parent spoke specifically about Gallatin Avenue in front of East Nashville Magnet, where there is no crossing guard. The Tennessee Department of Transportation reports that on average, almost 22,000 cars drive through that corridor every day. Without a crossing guard, parents say, their children are exposed to drivers speeding, texting while driving and other dangerous behaviors.
According to Metro police, 94 crossing guards cover 200 school zones in Nashville throughout the year.
DO CROSSING GUARDS MAKE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS SAFER?
Child pedestrians account for 22 percent of child road traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A large proportion of their exposure to vehicles is during their walk to school. One study in Toronto demonstrated that almost 50 percent of child-pedestrian motor vehicle collisions occur during school travel times. Over one-third of those occurred within 300 meters of a school.
The Toronto study refuted a theory suggesting that crossing guards actually increase collision rates, due to higher walking rates in the presence of crossing guards. It found that the presence of crossing guards did not lead to an increase in accidents and in fact, because walk volume increased and the collision rate did not, crossing guards could reduce pedestrian accidents.
Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”