THE EFFECT OF TRAFFIC CALMING IN THE VICINITY OF SCHOOLS ON STUDENTS ACCIDENTS

Road safety for children is not at an acceptable level in developing countries; and the age group of 5-15 years is at the highest risk level. It is clear that almost all of which are students in those countries. Considering a large population of students in our country, the discussion of vehicle accidents with students and the safety of the environment surrounding schools require more attention. This study aims to investigate the effect of traffic calming on student crashes surrounding schools of Boroujerd. In order to collect data, interviewing and viewing tools were used. In this regard, 116 primary and secondary school information were collected including school type, educational level, age group, gender, functional hierarchy, land use, accident type and student accident history in the last 5 years and traffic calming equipment surrounding schools. Data analysis was done by descriptive and inferential method. The findings showed that 73% of student accidents in the school districts occurred in the absence of traffic calming equipment and 63% of schools with no accident history of students had traffic calming equipment. It was also found that 62% of accidents occurred in residential areas, 47% of the accidents occurred in 2nd grade passageways (major distributor) and 100% of accidents occurred around public schools. The study on the relationship between student accidents and traffic calming showed that there is a significant relationship between student accidents surrounding public schools, in residential areas, 2nd grade passageways (major distributor) and student accident injuries along with the traffic calming. However, there was no significant relationship between student accidents in terms of educational level, age group and gender with traffic calming. The results of the research indicate that there is a risk of accidents and damage due to high speed of vehicle, high population density and poor economic status. Therefore, traffic calming measures in these places should be considered more than other areas.