|
home / centre for automotive safety research / Publications / List / Details Publication Details| Title | Vehicle speeds through school zones in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | | Authors | Thompson JP, Elsegood ME, Ponte G | | Year | 2025 | | Type | Report | | Abstract | Child pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users due to their limited road experience and heightened risk of serious injury if struck by a motor vehicle. Children walk to school, cross roads, and congregate near roads within school zones, making it crucial for vehicles to travel through school zones at lower speeds. This report investigated vehicle speeds through school zones in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and compliance with posted speed limits. It examined vehicular speed data sourced from ACT Government speed surveys conducted between 2015 and 2023 on roads near 59 schools. The mean vehicle speed during active school zone times was significantly lower than during weekday non-school-zone times and weekends (37.3 km/h compared to 46.0 km/h and 46.6 km/h, respectively). However, a larger proportion of vehicles exceeded the speed limit during active school zone times (36.4%) compared to weekday non-school-zone times (19.9%) and weekends (21.9%). Furthermore, school zones with a default speed limit of 60 km/h recorded higher mean speeds (39.6 km/h compared to 35.8 km/h) and a greater proportion of speeding vehicles (44.5% compared to 31.2%) than zones with a default limit of 50 km/h. These findings demonstrate that school zones are effective at lowering vehicle speeds in the ACT, which is crucial for improving child pedestrian safety. However, further improvement in speed compliance is necessary. Recommendations for ACT school zones are proposed based on best practice school zone safety. | | Report Number | CASR249 | | Publisher | Centre for Automotive Safety Research | | Publisher City | Adelaide | | Sponsor | ACT Government | | ISBN | 978 1 925971 82 8 | | ISSN | 1449-2237 | | Page Count | 108 | | Notes | This report is publicly available on
https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2843766/Report-CASR-Vehicle-speeds-t
hrough-ACT-school-zones.pdf |
| Reference | | Thompson JP, Elsegood ME, Ponte G (2025). Vehicle speeds through school zones in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (CASR249). Adelaide: Centre for Automotive Safety Research. |
| Files Available for Download | | CASR249.pdf | Final online report |
|
