September 19, 2024 (Opportunities for Interviews)
For more information, contact: Cheryl Wittke, (608) 256-6713, Executive Director, Safe Communities of Madison – Dane County
County officials offer traffic safety advice to protect kids back to school
With over 77,000 area children back in school, the Dane County Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) is working with law enforcement agencies and school districts to remind area drivers of the need to protect kids walking, bicycling or riding a bus to school. Announced at a press conference today, many local police departments are now conducting extra enforcement and education around schools to ensure the safety of area students.
This follows a recent TSC report showing that the number of children in Dane County injured in school zones last year was twice as high as in any of the previous four years. In 2023, six Dane County children walking or on bicycles in school zones were injured when struck by a motor vehicle. Four were pedestrians and two were on bicycles. Over the past five years, a total of 15 children have been injured in school zones. Forty-three children walking or biking on the way to or from school were injured. The youngest was 9 years old. Students aged 15 or 16 accounted for 40% of the injuries.
“These injuries far too often result from drivers speeding in school zones or in neighborhoods where children are walking or biking to and from school.” said Lt. Matt Plendl, Waunakee Police Department and co-chair of the TSC Law Enforcement Group. “It’s especially a concern when kids are getting on or off school buses. When a school bus’s red lights are flashing, drivers must slow down and come to a complete stop. This is not a suggestion–it’s the law. The extended stop-arm is an extra warning for drivers. When lights flash red, drivers from either direction must stop at least 20 feet from the bus and remain stopped until it resumes motion or the operator turns off the flashing red lights.
“Drivers can be cited even when the violation is not observed directly by an officer,” he said, noting that bus drivers can record license plates of offenders. Lt. Plendl said agencies across Dane County this month will focus on education for drivers and pedestrians as well as issuing warnings or citations to those who break the rules. “Fines can be very costly, but the risk of hitting a child is even higher.” Over ten school districts across the county are doing their part to help remind drivers to slow down by placing “Slow Down” yard signs on school grounds. These signs are distributed in partnership with Safe Communities of Madison-Dane County and can also be picked up at selected police departments for placement on private property. “They are a simple yet effective way to remind drivers to watch out for our kids,” said Cheryl Wittke, co-chair of the TSC and executive director of Safe Communities.
Dr. Leslie Bergstrom, superintendent of the Oregon School District, emphasized the importance of
being extra vigilant at bus stops and at street crossings when children are present. “It is so important for
drivers to go slowly and watch closely for children who are crossing the street,” Dr. Bergstrom noted
that Oregon School District is outfitting school buses with internal and external cameras to improve
safety and visibility, with the added benefit of recording license plates of vehicles passing illegally.
“We must all work together to create a safe environment for children in our community,” said Dr.
Bergstrom. “We have wonderful crossing guards and bus drivers to help our students get safely to and
from school each day. We ask parents and guardians to remind children to use sidewalks, cross where
there are marked crosswalks or crossing guards, and look left-right-left before crossing. Drivers should
slow down, stop for school buses, and remain vigilant when driving.”
This is an issue close to home for the Oregon School District, especially for one family. Eleven-year-
old Zoe Jamerson, daughter of Kristin Jamerson, was hit last April by an SUV as her grandfather watched
her cross the highway to board a school bus on County Highway MM between Oregon and Brooklyn.
“Zoe flew through the air,” Kristin said. "My dad picked her up and got her to the side of the road.
She was in a lot of pain. An ambulance took her to the ER, where the doctor said she was really lucky not
to have worse injuries. She missed so much school after that and was too terrified to ride the bus again
until just recently. Even when riding to school with me in the car, she was still very jumpy and frequently
warned me ‘there’s a car coming!’ She still has some pain, but this could have been much worse. But
what about other kids in this situation–they might not be so lucky.”
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Potential Interviewees: The following may be contacted for comment directly:
1) Information on the TSC or yard signs: Cheryl Wittke, Exec. Director, Safe Communities of Madison –
Dane County and TSC co-chair. (contact about TSC cwittke@safercommunity.net, (608) 256-6713.
2) Law enforcement perspective: Lt. Matt Plendl, Waunakee Police Dept, Dane County Traffic Safety
Commission Law Enforcement Group Co-chair: mplendl@waunakeepd.org, (608) 849-4523.
3) Information on Oregon School District student traffic safety measures, such as bus cameras: Dr.
Leslie Bergstrom, Superintendent, Oregon School District (Contact Erika Mundinger, Director of
Communications, elmundinger@oregonsd.org, (608) 835-4014.)
4) Kristin Jamerson, (mother of 11-year-old Zoe), kmjamerson@wissign.com, (608) 622-4389.