KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® - Arizona Crime Prevention ...



KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®*

GROWING A COMMUNITY-WIDE CAMPAIGN

What is KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®?

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® is a safety campaign designed to encourage motorists to observe the residential speed limit. In most towns and cities across the U.S., the residential limit is 25 mph. Thus the slogan, “KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®.” The campaign can be expanded to all speed zones through the NO NEED TO SPEED® initiative; as well as include stoplight/stop sign observance through STOP MEANS STOP™ and STOP! TAKE 3 TO SEE™. SEAT BELTS – FASTENATING! is our newest initiative targeting the benefits of buckling up.

*Bilingual Campaigns are also an option.

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

P.O. BOX 45563 Omaha, NE 68145-0563 (402) 334-1391

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BENEFITS

A KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® community-wide campaign provides a multitude of benefits. These include:

• Mobilizing residents to proactively take responsibility for their driving behavior at a grassroots level. Ultimately, changing driving behavior must target drivers in their own neighborhood. KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® invites neighbors to talk with and get to know each other in committing to look out for and care for all neighborhood children. NO NEED TO SPEED® extends this care and concern throughout the whole community.

• Actual reduction of speed. The first completed pre/post speed study of the effectiveness of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® yard signs in Oceanside, CA showed a 16% decrease in average speed of vehicles travelling in the first of the neighborhoods targeted for implementation of the campaign. Three additional studies are currently underway.

• Residents see more brake lights as drivers take the KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® message to heart. An initial study conducted over a 20-month period indicated that over 75% of drivers braked when passing a Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® yard sign.

Benefits continued…

• Using Keep Kids Alive Drive 25® Trash Can Decals to convey the message, the Oro Valley, AZ Police Dept. report in a pre/post test in a neighborhood of 1000 homes that 85 percent of motorists on test roadways reduced their speed from 29 mph to less than 25 mph.

• City officials, particularly law enforcement and traffic engineering personnel, working alongside residents and local businesses to address traffic safety in neighborhoods and all roadways works to develop a true partnership with all concerned citizens and civic leaders. Community relations are improved when leaders work together to develop and take ownership in growing local initiatives.

• Addressing speeding at a grassroots level through KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® can save both lives and money. Calling drivers to responsible behavior on the part of child and motorist safety is much more affordable than, and oftentimes preferable to, installing speed bumps, chicanes, traffic circles, etc.

NOTE: CHECK YOUR SPEED® can be substituted for the NO NEED TO SPEED® slogan.

THE KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

CHALLENGE

• Speeding is a primary concern in residential neighborhoods, as well as in all speed zones, in communities of all sizes throughout the United States.

• Residents consistently make requests of law enforcement, traffic engineers, city council representatives, county commissioners, and mayors to address speeding in residential neighborhoods.

• Oftentimes residents request and believe that the solution to residential speeding lies in physical measures such as speed bumps/humps, blocking off streets, or changing flow of traffic through use of circles or chicanes.

• Engineering and Safety concerns most often militate against implementing physical measures as a response to residential speeding. This is due to safety concerns related to response time of emergency vehicles, which would be impeded by speed bumps/humps as well as by data indicating that these solutions are not warranted, especially as a primary response to the problem.

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED®/STOP! TAKE 3 TO SEE™/STOP MEANS STOP™ ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION

How do KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® work to address the problem of speeding in residential neighborhoods?

• Since most speeding in residential neighborhoods is a direct result of the driving behavior of residents of that neighborhood, KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® works to address the problem at a grass roots level by inviting residents to take responsibility for their own driving behavior. NO NEED TO SPEED® works to promote this same responsibility while driving on all roadways.

• The reality is that the problem of residential speeding can best be addressed (and should be addressed) by the people most directly affected by its impact, local residents. This also extends to roadways in all speed zones.

• KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® invites residents, along with city officials (law enforcement, traffic engineers, city council representatives, county commissioners, and mayors) to work together to address speeding in residential neighborhoods. Schools, Businesses, and Civic Organizations are also vital partners in growing a successful community-wide campaign.

• The NO NEED TO SPEED® initiative expands the scope of addressing the problem of speeding and aggressive driving behaviors in all speed zones.

• STOP MEANS STOP™ and STOP! TAKE 3 TO SEE™ are additional KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® initiatives targeting observance of traffic signals and stop signs. Communities can include or expand traffic safety initiatives by including these in a community-wide campaign to promote safe driving practices.

HOW DO COMMUNITIES MOBILIZE AROUND

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®

AND RELATED CAMPAIGNS?

Communities can begin to mobilize in a number of manners. These include:

• Local residents mobilize through neighborhood watch groups, neighborhood associations, citizen patrols, PTA/PTO councils, Safe Kids Coalitions, etc.

• The Crime Prevention or Traffic Enforcement Unit of local law enforcement, as well as the Public Works Department (through Traffic Engineering) can take the lead in introducing the campaign as a way of organizing neighborhoods to address the issue of residential speeding in a proactive way.

• City Council, Mayor’s Office, County Commission can serve as catalysts in initiating a community dialogue in concert with law enforcement and traffic engineering to explore ways to seed KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and NO NEED TO SPEED® in neighborhoods as well as to pro-actively address speeding throughout the community.

• Once a community-wide plan is in place, neighborhoods, law enforcement, public works, and local businesses are ready to initiate a coordinated local response to address speeding/aggressive driving. These responses could include:

1. Canvassing the neighborhood talking with residents about the campaign(s) and inviting personal commitment.

2. Introducing the campaign(s) through presentations to neighborhood associations, watch groups, citizen patrols, safety committees, and through local businesses, etc. Law enforcement, traffic engineering, and council/commission representatives in partnership with neighborhood/community leaders can take the lead in introducing KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and related initiatives to local residents.

3. Posting KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® yard signs throughout neighborhoods in all speed zones to attract the attention of drivers as a means of reinforcing the message to observe the posted speed limit. The signs serve as a friendly reminder to check your speed and slow down as needed. Some communities opt for KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® decals to affix to trashcans in residential neighborhoods.

4. Posting KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®/NO NEED TO SPEED® street signs is an additional option to explore in residential neighborhoods and throughout the community.

5. Many communities opt to seed KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and related messages using placement items to get the message out into the community. These include bumper stickers, window decals, dashboard stickers, key chains, pens, pencils, t-shirts, reflective clothing stickers, refrigerator magnets, etc.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

In addition to the aforementioned ways in which local government can support implementation of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and related campaigns, ongoing support of city/county officials is crucial in implementing a city/county-wide campaign or a neighborhood initiative. City support can take the form of:

• Providing a central coordinating point for implementation of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and related initiatives. This allows the campaign to be implemented in a consistent manner throughout the community. As neighborhoods, or as the whole community take on the campaign, all involved can proceed in a uniform coordinated way.

• Law Enforcement and Traffic Engineering can work together to provide pre/post data from speed studies conducted prior to and after implementation of the campaign. This data helps to keep the campaign on track towards the goal of reducing speeding in residential neighborhoods. Local Universities/Colleges engaged in traffic safety research can also be engaged as partners.

COMMUNITY-WIDE SUPPORT

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® and related initiatives are most effective when community-wide support is evident. This support takes many forms, such as:

• Radio and TV stations running public service announcements in support of a local initiative.

• Local retailers can make KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25™ products available to the public. In some cases retailers enter into partnerships with schools by earmarking a portion of the profits from sale of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE products for school initiatives.

• Local businesses affixing KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25™ and related messages on bumper stickers, decals, or license frames to service vehicles present in residential neighborhoods. City vehicles can also display a sticker, decal, or license frame. Dashboard stickers can also be used to remind drivers to observe the speed limit, stop signs, and other traffic laws.

• Businesses underwriting the cost (or partial cost) of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25™ and related messages through signs, bumper stickers, key chains, etc. that are distributed throughout the community to promote the message of safe driving. Businesses can also distribute or sell these items in support of a local campaign.

Community Support continued…

• Schools (PTAs/PTOs), faith communities, scouting groups, neighborhood associations, citizen patrols, day care groups, and other community organizations can get involved by promoting the campaign through their efforts.

• Car dealerships can distribute KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® yard signs, key chains, decals, dashboard or bumper stickers with every test-drive or as a community outreach. These items can promote NO NEED TO SPEED®, STOP! TAKE 3 TO SEE™, and STOP MEANS STOP™ initiatives as well.

• Foundations can support community initiatives by making grants to underwrite the cost of implementing and researching effectiveness of local, regional, and statewide campaigns.

FINANCING A LOCAL

KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® CAMPAIGN

Financing is always a part of the equation when beginning any new initiative. And so it is with KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®. To date, communities have come up with a number of ways to finance local initiatives. These include:

• Grants provided through local foundations and businesses.

• Neighborhood Association Funding.

• Businesses underwriting the cost of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25™ signs, trash can decals, stickers, key chains, etc so that these can be passed out free of charge or at a nominal cost. Products are also sold through retail outlets.

• Neighborhood Safety Block Grants provided through local Law Enforcement.

• Including funding for KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25™ and related campaigns in the city/county budget.

For more information or for on-site consultation, please contact Tom Everson at 402-334-1391, tom@, or visit .

Copyright Tom Everson, September 21, 2000 Updated June 9, 2003

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