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MODULE3:ROADSAFETYAUDITSLesson1:SCHOOLZONESAFETYAUDIT
GRADELEVEL:6-8
Allstudentsareprobablyawareofmethodsfortrafficsafetyaroundtheirschools–possiblespecialroadwaysignage,reducedspeedlimitsduringdrop-offandpick-uptimes,exclusiveroutingandwaitingareasforbusesandforparents,andmarkedcrosswalkswithcrossingguards.Thislessonchallengesstudentstothinkcriticallyaboutthesafetyaspectsofthetransportationroutesanddevicesaroundtheirownschools.
CreatedBy:
NanoSonic,Inc.
GilesCountyPublicSchools
Leidos
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Lesson1: SchoolZoneSafetyAuditContributedby:NanoSonic,Leidos,GilesCountyPublicSchools
GradeLevel:6-8
LessoninthisModule:1of1
TimeRequired:90-120minutes
LessonDependency:None
Keywords:roadsafetyaudit,schoolzone
RelatedCurriculum
SubjectAreas
Science;technology;engineering;mathematics
CurricularUnits
Intelligenttransportationsystems
Activities
CreatingaMapoftheArea;InvestigationTime!;Establishingaplantoimprovesafety!
EducationalStandards
ThislessonplananditsassociatedactivitiesarecorrelatedtothenationalstandardsintheeachofthecoredisciplineareasofSTEM:NextGenerationScienceStandards,AmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScienceStandards,StandardsforTechnologicalLiteracy,InternationalSocietyforTechnologyinEducationStandards,CommonCoreMathematicsStandards,andtheNationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematicsStandards.
Pre-RequisiteKnowledge
None.
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LearningObjectives
• Studentswilldiagramtheschoolpropertyandsurroundingtransportationinfrastructure.
• Studentswillinterviewlocalpersonnelabouttransportationsafetyconcernsaroundtheschool.
• StudentswilllearnaboutavailableITSsolutionsandmakedecisionsaboutimplementationofsafetyimprovements.
• Studentswillconstructamodelthatincludesthenewtransportationimprovements.
Introduction/Motivation
Allstudentsareprobablyawareofmethodsfortrafficsafetyaroundtheirschools–possiblespecialroadwaysignage,reducedspeedlimitsduringdrop-offandpick-uptimes,exclusiveroutingandwaitingareasforbusesandforparents,andmarkedcrosswalkswithcrossingguards.Thislessonchallengesstudentstothinkcriticallyaboutthesafetyaspectsofthetransportationroutesanddevicesaroundtheirownschools.Althoughallschoolsaredifferentintheirtransportationmethodsandneeds,thislessonwilladdresstherequirementsofabroadrangeofschoollocations.
LessonBackground&ConceptsforTeachers
Aroadsafetyaudit(RSA),asdefinedbytheFederalHighwayAdministration,isaformalevaluationofaroad’sstatuswithrespecttoexistingormissingsafetyfeatures.RSAsareconductedwithateamofprofessionalsfromavarietyofdifferentbackgroundsfromtransportationengineerstolawenforcementofficerstoadvocacygroupsandcommunitymembers.Inplainlanguage,anRSAisacloselookataparticularroadorintersectiontoidentifypotentialsafetyissues.EachRSAhasateamthatiscomprisedofmembersthatarenotintimatelyfamiliarwiththespecificlocationandwhorepresentavarietyoftransportationsafetyexpertise.
Expandingthisconcepttoschoolzones,wherestudentsafetyisatoppriority,aschoolzonesafetyauditisanRSAthatoccurswithinaschoolzone.Inthiscase,theRSAteammaybecomprisedofengineers,lawenforcementofficers,schoolbusdrivers,crossingguards,parents,students,etc.Themaingoalofaroadsafetyauditistoidentifypotentialsafetyissueswithinroadwaysectionsandpresentsolutionstomakethoseroadwayssaferforallroadwayusers,includingpassengervehicles,trucks,bicycles,andpedestrians.Schoolzonesafetyauditsarethusespeciallyimportantduetothelargeamountofbuses,vehicles,andpedestrianstravelinginandoutoftheschoolzoneatconcentratedtimesoftheday(i.e.beforeschoolandafterschool).
• StepsofaSchoolZoneSafetyAudit
Thetwomainpartiesinvolvedinaschoolzonesafetyauditcanbeschools,residents,parentsofstudents,andothersneartheschoolzone(hereinreferredtoasthe“initiator”)inquestionandtheRSA
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teamitself.Therearetypicallyeightstepstoperformingaschoolzonesafetyaudit.Thefirsttwosteps,identifyingtheschoolzoneandselectingtheRSAteam,arepartoftheinitiators’responsibilities.ThenextfourstepsareperformedbytheRSAteam.Thesestepsaretoconductastart-upmeeting,performfieldreviewsoftheschoolzonebeinganalyzed,conductanalysisandprepareafinalreport,andpresentfindingstotheinitiators.ThefinaltwostepsoftheRSAprocessarefortheinitiatorstoprepareaformalresponsetothefinalreportandtoincorporatetheRSAfindingsandrecommendations.
• BenefitstoPerformingaSchoolZoneSafetyAudit
Successfullyperformingaschoolzonesafetyauditandsubsequentlytakingthenecessarystepstoimplementthesuggestedsolutionsforsolvingthesafetyissuesidentifiedintheauditcanhavemanybenefits.Typically,schoolzonesafetyauditsarecost-effective,meaningthatthebenefitsgainedfromimprovingsafetyoutweighsthecostsofperformingtheauditandimplementingthesuggestedsolutions.Thequantifiablebenefitsofroadsafetyauditsincludereducingthenumberofcrashes(andassociatedinjuriesandfatalities),reducednumberofliabilityclaimsassociatedwithschoolzonecrashes,andreducedcostofmaintainingnewersignsandequipment.
• GoogleMaps
GoogleMapsisanessentialpartofActivity1.WithinGoogleMaps,ausercansearchforalocationbygoingtohttps://www.google.com/mapsandtypinginthelocation,whetheritbethenameofabuilding(i.e.aschool,hospital,grocerystore,etc.),thenameofatown,orevenastreetname/intersection.Themapscanbedisplayedasastandardaerialmap(“Map”)orasasatelliteimage(“Earth”).Togglingbetweenviewscanbedonebyclickingthesquareinthelowerleft-handcorner,whichshouldsayeither“Map”or“Earth”,dependingonwhichviewthemapisdisplaying.
GoogleMapsoffersauniquefeaturecalledGoogleStreetViewwhichprovidesmapuserswiththeabilitytoviewanimageofthelocationasiftheywerephysicallystandingordrivingontheroad.Itcanbeaccessedinoneoftwoways.Thefirstoptionistoclickanddragtheyellowcharacteronthetoolbarinthelowerright-handcorneranddroppinghimontothedesiredlocationonthemap.Thesecondoptionistoenterthelocation’saddressinthesearchbar,pressenter(orclickthemagnifyingglass),andthen,afterthesitehasbeenlocatedonthemap,selectStreetViewfromthedropdownmenuthatisdisplayedbelowthesearchbar.
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Figure1:SampleviewofGoogleMaps-locationoffeaturesmayvarybybrowser.
Vocabulary/Definitions
VocabularyWord
Definition
ActuatedTrafficSignal
Trafficsignalsatafour-wayintersectionareallautomated,ratherthanonafixedtimer.Automationisachievedbyusingacameraorothersensoryequipmenttodeterminewhichlanesshouldreceiveagreenlight.
IntelligentTransportationSystems
Advancedtechnologiesthattransportationengineersusetoimprovetransportationsafetyandtrafficflow.Inthismodule,actuatedorsemi-actuatedtrafficsignalsrepresentoneformofintelligenttransportationsystems.
RoadSafetyAudit Anin-depthevaluationperformedbyateamofmulti-disciplinaryprofessionalsofthepotentialsafetyissuesandconcernsataparticularroadorintersection.
Semi-ActuatedTrafficSignal
Afewtrafficsignalsatafour-wayintersectionareautomated,ratherthanonafixedtimer.Thismayhappenifasmaller,rarelytraveledarterialroadintersectsabusiermajorroad.Ifthesignalissemi-automated,thesmallerroadwillhavesensoryequipmentsowhencarsarrive,theyreceiveagreenlight,butotherwisethelightstaysgreenonthemainroad.
ClickthisimagetotogglebetweenEarthviewandmapview.
Typesearchcriteriainthissearchbar.
Clickanddragthischaracterontothemap.Releasethe
mouseoverastreettoviewthestreetview.
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AssociatedActivities
Theactivitiesinthislessonplanwalkthestudentsthroughanintroductory-levelschoolzoneroadsafetyaudit.
• Activity1–CreatingaMapoftheArea
o UseGoogleMapstoviewanaerialimageoftheschool’spropertyandsurroundingroadnetwork.InstructorsmaytogglebetweentheMapviewandsatellite(Earth)viewtopointoutspecificlandmarkssostudentscangainabetterunderstandingoftheareaandroadnetworksurroundingtheschool.
o Studentswillusethisimagetosketchtheirownmapoftheschoolzoneincludingbuildingfootprintsandroadways.
o UseGoogleStreetViewtoidentifywhichsigns,pavementmarkings,andsafetydevicesontheroads.Indicatetheirpresenceonthestudents’maps.Usethedistancescaletoapproximatethedistancebetweensigns.
• Activity2-InvestigationTime!
o Interviewvariouspeopleattheschoolabouttransportationaroundtheschool.Potentialpersonnelinclude:aschoolresourceofficer,crossingguards,busdrivers,principal,teachers,parents,andpeers.Iftimeallows,considerallowingstudentstointerviewgovernmentofficialsorengineersfromthecityorcountytodetermineiftherehavebeentrafficcomplainsintheschoolzone.
o Interviewvariouspeopleattheschoolabouttransportationaroundtheschool.Potentialpersonnelinclude:aschoolresourceofficer,crossingguards,busdrivers,principal,teachers,parents,andpeers.Iftimeallows,considerallowingstudentstointerviewgovernmentofficialsorengineersfromthecityorcountytodetermineiftherehavebeentrafficcomplainsintheschoolzone.
o Basedoninformationgathereduptothispoint,identifyanddiscussspecificsafetyconcernsaroundtheschool.
§ Congestionatdismissal:maybecausedbybuses,parentdrivers,childrenrunningeverywhere,etc.
§ Cominglingofbusesandcars:dobuseshaveaseparateentrancefromparents?§ Visibilityofsigns:cantheybeseenaroundacurveorwhenvegetation(trees,
bushes,leaves,etc.)isovergrown?Dotheyallowenoughtimeforavehicletoseethesignsandslowdown?
§ Vehiclestravelingabovetheschoolzonespeedlimit:didanyoftheinterviewsrevealthisconcern?Considerborrowingaradardetectorfromalocallaw
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enforcementagencyandassignsomestudentstocollectspeedreadingswithinanactiveschoolzone.
§ Accommodationsforallroadusers:youngpedestrians,bicyclists,peoplewhocannotseewell,peopleconstrainedtowheelchairs,etc.)
• Activity3–Establishingaplantoimprovesafety!(RecommendingImprovements)
o DiscusspotentialITSsolutionsthatrelatetoschooltransportation,suchas:
§ Flashingschoolzonespeedreductionsigns(pre-timedtoactivateandflashduringschoolhoursonly)
§ Speedfeedbacksigns(Figure2),indicatingreducedschoolspeedlimitandthespeedofapproachingvehicles
§ Installationoftrafficsignal(pre-timedtoflashwhenschool
isnotinsession;onlydisplaysred/yellow/greenwhenneededfordismissalordrop-off)
§ Changeablemessagesigntodisplaymessageaboutschools(especiallyduringearlydismissaldays)
§ High-intensityActivatedcrossWalKbeacon(HAWK)isatrafficsignalusedtostoproadtrafficandallowpedestrianstocrosssafely(Figure3);formoreinfo:http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/fhwasa14014/)
o HavestudentsinvestigatethestandardinstallationrequirementsusingtheManualonUniformTrafficControlDevices(http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009r1r2/part7.pdf)Theseinstallationrequirementsstandardizethetrafficcontrolforschoolareas.ThesectionoftheMUTCDthatrelatestoschoolzonetrafficcontrolhasspecificsectionsontheinstallationofsigns,markings,andcrossingsupervisiontobeusedinschoolzones.
o Studentswillusethemapfromactivity1toindicatewhereandhowtheythinksafetycouldbeimprovedintheirschoolzone
LessonClosure
• Whataresometransportationsafetyconcernsaroundschoolsthataschoolzonesafetyauditcanhelpidentifyandsolve?RoadsafetyproblemsthataSchoolZoneSafetyAuditcanattempttoidentifyandsolveincludelimitedaccesstocrosswalkswherethereareahighnumberofpedestrians,
Figure2:Speedfeedbacksignfora
schoolzone.
Figure3:High-intensityActivatedcrosswalk(HAWKsignal)
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cracked/unevensidewalks,nodesignatedplacesforpeopletowalkthrough/acrossparkinglotsornearbyroads,trafficbackupandcongestionduringpeakhours,speedingvehicles,inefficientroutingoftraffic,trafficblockingbuslanesorentrances/exits,sightdistanceobstructionsrelatedtopedestrians,signs,trees,parking,etc.
• HowcanITStechnologiesandsystemsimproveschoolzonesafety?ITStechnologiesandsystemscanimproveschoolzonesafetyinavarietyofways.Installingflashingsignsthatlightupduringdrop-offandpick-uptimescanalertotherdriversthattheremaybetrafficintheschoolarea.Flashingsignscanalsobeusedtohighlightareducedspeedlimitduringschoolhours.Variablespeedlimitsignsandspeedfeedbacksignscanalsobeusedinthesameway.Changeablemessagesignscanbeusedtoalertpassingdriverstospecialeventsorschoolconditions,suchasearlydismissaloranafter-schoolevent.
• Whataresomeofthebenefitsofperformingaschoolzonesafetyaudit?Performingaschoolzonesafetyauditcanhelplowerthenumberofcrashesandhopefullystopthemoreseverecrasheswherepeoplegethurtandhavetogotothehospital.Bytakinganactiveroleinkeepingschoolzonessafe,thenumberofliabilityclaimswithinschoolzonesmaybereduced.
Extensions/Multimedia
• UtilizeEdmodo(www.edmodo.com)toprovidefurtherquestioninganddiscussionbetweenstudentsandteacher.Edmodoisasafesociallearningwebsitemadespecificallyforteachersandstudents.Itisawaytocollaborateonassignments,homework,projects,andafter-schoolSTEMprogramsandisusedasacommunicationtooltoprovideadditionalquestioningandfeedbackfromteachersandstudents.
References
• "RITA-IntelligentTransportationSystems-USDOT."RITA-IntelligentTransportationSystems-USDOT.USDepartmentofTransportation,n.d.Web.30Sept.2014.
• "RoadSafetyAudits(RSA)."-FHWASafetyProgram.FederalHighwayAdminstration,n.d.Web.30Sept.2014.