Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25
Omaha, Nebraska
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Problem
Speeding in residential areas was too common and rendered neighborhoods unsafe for children and other pedestrians.
Background
Tom Everson, a local resident of Omaha, Nebraska, started a grassroots education campaign in 1998 to reduce residential speeding. The campaign has since spread to more than 240 communities all over the US. Collaborations between local residents, schools, neighborhood associations, local businesses, law enforcement, traffic engineering, and transportation departments improved mutual trust and strengthened opportunities to get the message out.
Solution
The program was founded on the recognition that the majority of speeders in neighborhoods are residents themselves and that most speeders simply aren't paying attention to their speed. Elements of the public awareness campaign included street and yard signs, brochures, bumper stickers, trash can decals, and public service announcements. Each element contained the dramatic and effective slogan, "Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25." Other slogans expanded the message outside the neighborhood: "No Need to Speed," "STOP. Take 3 To See," "Check Your Speed," and a Spanish language version, "Mantenga A Los Niños Vivos, Maneje A 25."
Cost varies widely depending upon the extent of the campaign. Yard signs cost about $13, though some communities spent up to $10,000 for long-term campaigns. Funding has come through both the sale of related educational products as well as partnerships with local businesses. For example, Radio Disney sponsored public service announcements in Omaha, and Blue-Cross-Blue Shield of Nebraska underwrote the cost of bumper stickers. In some cases, local departments of transportation have sponsored joint efforts, such as the installation of radar trailers and street signs.
Results
The campaign has been a widely recognized success. The first study of effectiveness, conducted in Oceanside, CA, found a 16 percent decrease in average vehicle speeds in targeted neighborhoods. Similar success was found in Omaha, where 75 percent of drivers braked when passing a yard sign. Free information on how to implement a new campaign can be obtained by emailing Tom Everson at Tom@kkad25.org.
Contact
Tom Everson
P.O. Box 45563
Omaha, NE 68145-0563
(402) 334-1391
Tom@kkad25.org
www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org
Images Source
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org
