Safety on the way to school: Pradler Straße thumbs up, Mitterweg thumbs down
INNSBRUCK. The The focus is on the safety of schoolchildren and kindergarten children on the way to school, pleasing the police as the focus. The vehicle drivers on Alois-Schrott-Strasse, Rotadler Strasse, Zeughausstrasse and Pradler Strasse were exemplary, a thumbs up for that. It’s a thumbs down for the drivers in Sieberer Straße, Schusterbergweg, Schneeburggasse, Tschiggfreystraße and Mitterweg.The measures are to be expanded and controls are being intensified at danger spots.
Goal setting
The primary aim of the war focus controls is to give the children the maximum possible level of safety on their way to school or kindergarten. Uniformed police officers secured the way to school at particularly critical points. The first contact on the subject of road safety was with schoolchildren and legal guardians. Traffic police surveillance measures were taken in the vicinity of kindergartens and schools. The monitoring measures were carried out in the morning, morning and noon. In doing so, the speed behavior of the vehicle drivers in the immediate vicinity or catchment area of schools and kindergartens, the correct behavior on protective paths and the correct child safety notification were given. Die Polizei relied on the deployment of uniformed police officers in order to promote the behavior of road users in accordance with the rules through a “visible presence”. Radar and laser devices as well as civil patrols were also used.
As part of the control activities, the following crimes (Tyrol-wide) were found:
- 3,542 speeding violations
- 13 lack of parental controls (preregistration offense)
- 47 seat belt not fastened
- 22 Telephoning without a hands-free system
- 113 other traffic offenses
A total of 3,737 offenses are punished.
First accident
In the city of Innsbruck, the first accident on the way to school occurred on September 17th, 2021 at 12.25 p.m. at the beginning of this school year, in which a cyclist collided with a student who suddenly “jumped” onto the lane in order to cross it in front of the cyclist. Both fell and suffered minor injuries.
particularities
The majority of the speeding violations were in a range of less than 20 km / h.
In the speed measurements carried out in the vicinity of schools / kindergartens, it was found that approx. 5% of the vehicle drivers were driving too fast; In the case of speed measurements in Tyrol, information is on average approx. 10% too fast; The drivers were particularly exemplary in some areas – there were no or only a few violations in Alois-Schrott-Strasse, Rotadler Strasse, Zeughausstrasse and Pradler Strasse. In some areas, however, the violations are above the national average, such as in Sieberer Straße, Schusterbergweg, Schneeburggasse, Tschiggfreystraße and Mitterweg.
Protection ways
The drivers behaved in an exemplary manner on protective routes that were monitored by the police. Without the visible presence of the police, however, it was not always the case that pedestrians or children were allowed to cross the protective path because they were not ready to “stop”. Schoolchildren often rely too much on “safety” on the protective path and forget about the all-important “left-right-left look”. The children trust that drivers will stop anyway.
Moments of danger
In many cases, schoolchildren are brought to school in vehicles. This aggravates the situation at bus stops. Some streets are parked, vehicles are parked on the sidewalks and in areas where there is no stopping or parking. In Innsbruck, drivers stay in the second lane to allow children to get out. This creates particular dangers for children.
Summary and appeal
- “Even if the police had to punish a number of violations in the first few weeks after school started, a positive summary can still be drawn overall. The vast majority of vehicle drivers behave very responsibly, especially in the vicinity of schools and kindergartens. “
- “It is very welcome if parents, accompanied by the police and teachers, take appropriate influence on their children so that they can take part in road traffic with a certain degree of caution (e.g. behavior at bus stops and protected paths). Our children also need the highest level of security in the further course of the school year. ”
- “You must always stop in front of protective paths in order to enable a person to cross unhindered and safe. In any case, children who want to cross the street must be allowed to cross it safely. Parents who bring their children to school or to kindergarten by car, please make sure to “properly secure” their children in the vehicle and be a role model for them by wearing the seat belt. It is also important to always let children get out of the vehicle on the side facing away from the traffic. ”
- “It is also important that vehicle drivers are aware of their great responsibility towards children in road traffic. Adults assess dangers much faster and act accordingly more quickly. Children, on the other hand, live in their own world and perceive dangers differently. The police therefore appeal to all road users in the vicinity of schools and kindergartens to always be particularly considerate and, above all, adapted to speed and be ready to brake. “
Action is being expanded
“The fact that the vast majority of vehicle drivers in the vicinity of schools and kindergartens behave very responsibly is the result, on the one hand, of increased monitoring measures by the executive. On the other hand, the preventive measures have a positive effect on the safety record on the way to school. The fast, nationwide StreetBuddy campaign in the Tyrolean capital and the school route safety package from the Safe Tyrol Association also played a role in this. Especially after the summer holidays, it is particularly important that road users make themselves aware of the fact that with the StreetBuddies, which work in both directions and are provided with reflective foils, maximum safety can be guaranteed even at dusk or in the dark. Due to the high level of interest, we recently re-ordered additional StreetBuddies. We are pleased that this project works so well and is accepted. We will continue to develop and expand this safety on the way to school in the future. President, I would like to thank Karl Mark from the Safe Tyrol Association for these initiatives, ”explains Vizebgm. Johannes Anzengruber.
Reinforced controls
“It is gratifying that the drivers on Alois-Schrott-Strasse, Rotadler Strasse, Zeughausstrasse and Pradler Strasse were particularly exemplary in the vicinity of the school. Wherever there were above-average violations near the school, I will coordinate with the police to ensure that speed controls are increased. These are above all the areas of Sieberer Straße, Schusterbergweg, Schneeburggasse, Tschiggfreystraße and Mitterweg. As is well known, the city of Innsbruck has its own vehicle and MÜG employees for speed monitoring for the Innsbruck police. After this positive school trip safety record, we must not freak out, because every traffic accident is one too many, and it is particularly bad when small children have serious accidents, ”announced Anzengruber. More news from Innsbruck can be found here