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Aaron Hoskins
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-1119 office
ahoskins@mail.sdsu.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Roadways Near Elementary Schools are Dangerous

SAN DIEGO, Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - As the school year begins, a new San Diego State University study of crossing guards has found that the roads near elementary schools are often dangerous, with most drivers speeding and disobeying traffic laws near schoolchildren.

Crossing guards from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Francisco counties reported that only a fourth of all motorists drove under the mandatory 25 mph speed limit around schools when children were present.

The California Institute of Transportation Safety at SDSU (CITS) conducted the study. Professor Sheila Sarkar, director of the institute, said the results are surprising and alarming.

"We found that the most common traffic violations were committed by drivers who sped past children in crosswalks - ignoring the crossing guards' red stop signs," Sarkar said. "We recommend for safety of the children that police increase patrols and traffic engineers spend some time at these locations to make safety improvements."

Sarkar said the goal of the study was to identify the working conditions of crossing guards in Southern and Northern California.

"They are protecting the children, yet no one has made an attempt to see their conditions," she said.

Most crossing guards are older men and women who work about two hours a day for an average of $8.59 per hour. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 52 crossing guards were injured on the job in California in 1999.
Of the 186 guards surveyed by CITS, 3.5% said they had been hit by a car on the job, and nearly 30% said they had narrowly escaped being hit. About half said they had tried unsuccessfully to persuade transportation engineers to make roadway improvements to increase children's safety around schools.

More than 70% of the guards said they had never considered quitting their job. But of those who had, most cited the dangers posed by speeding, reckless motorists.

Sarkar said the study underscores the inherent dangers children and crossing guards face every school morning.

"Motorists are in a rush to drop off the children and get started on their day, whether that is going to work, running errands or any of a number of different tasks," Sarkar said. "But there is no reason to speed and disregard traffic laws. There is no reason to put lives in danger."

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 78 areas, master's degrees in 61 areas and doctorates in 14. SDSU's more than 33,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information log on to www.sdsu.edu.

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