As schools across the country celebrate graduations and begin to transition to summer schedules, most campuses have fewer people and reduced traffic. With school on break, especially an extended one like summer, it becomes the opportune time for making your campus a safer place for the students, faculty, staff, and even the local neighborhood.
As a leader in product technology for law enforcement, Kustom Signals is highly experienced in the development of traffic safety technologies. We offer three items that academic institutions of all types can use to help make campuses safer for everyone.
Install RADAR Speed Displays in High Traffic Areas
In an article written by American City & Country, it’s reported that 25,000 children each year are injured and on average more than 100 are killed while walking to or from school, as a result of speeding vehicles. While neighborhoods may have school zones with speed limits of 20 miles per hour, there are still too many that allow higher speeds within proximity of the school campus.
According to SafeKids.org, “When a vehicle is traveling 20 mph, there is only a ten percent likelihood of a severe injury or fatality to a pedestrian if there is a crash. At 40 mph, there is an eighty percent likelihood.”
It’s essential to get vehicles traveling to and from the school as well as those passing by to slow down. Slower speeds in school zones reduce injuries and save lives. RADAR speed displays slow vehicles down in high-traffic areas where children are frequently present. Portable and permanent pole-mounted RADAR displays from Kustom Signals offer an effective solution.
For more insight on pedestrian safety tools, please watch our webinar presentation on speed awareness products to combat pedestrian fatalities:
Utilize Message Trailers for Important Safety Announcements
Schoolhouse Rock has been teaching kids that “knowledge is power” for fifty years. In fact, the power of knowledge can help keep kids and other pedestrians near the school safer.
SMART Messaging Trailers make it easier to share important safety announcements with students, their families, carpool drivers, pedestrians, and any others in the area. From basic drop-off directions to emergency updates for specific incidents, a school can use a message trailer as an alternative to a static sign or putting a staff member in a dangerous situation. Additionally, our messaging trailers include RADAR, so they can act as very large RADAR displays to remind speeding drivers to slow down.
Message trailers from Kustom Signals are designed to meet your needs and are easy to use, move, and store. With LED lights for optimum visibility, you’ll know your message is seen. The Kustom Signals SMART message trailers are available in various sizes and with different features, including GPS, solar panels, high-performance batteries, and a traffic data recording system.
Equip Campus Police or School Resource Officers with BWC
The National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently released its report: Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools. The report’s data revealed that during the 2021-22 school year, more than 850,000 violent incidents occurred on U.S. elementary, middle, and high school campuses. Sixty-seven percent of the schools surveyed reported at least one violent incident, while fifty-nine percent reported at least one non-violent incident.
Schools with campus police, private security, or School Resource Officers (SRO) may opt to equip these professionals with body-worn cameras (BWC). According to the IES report, nearly fifty percent of traditional public schools have a School Resource Officer present at least once a week. The SRO is a sworn law enforcement officer with specialized training. Body worn cameras help protect officers and give everyone confidence with recorded and documented activity.
The Argus BWC from Kustom Signals is the ideal safety equipment for your school’s SROs or other security professionals. Lightweight, easy-to-use, and 4G capable for in-field live-streaming and file uploads.
Kustom Signals wants your school campus to be safe for everyone. Contact us today to explore the options for enhancing your campus with the equipment favored by law enforcement agencies nationwide.