Pedal to the Metal: Speedsters Targeted as Bremen Police Crackdown on School Route Safety
Accident hotspots identified by Bremen police: Key areas of concern for road safety
Navigating the road for kids can be a hazardous journey. That's why today's focus for safety on the streets of Bremen and Bremerhaven is none other than school routes.
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With children being more vulnerable to the dangers of traffic, it's essential they understand the risks. Research shows they don't perceive traffic like adults do, making school routes particularly treacherous for the little ones. Today's nationwide traffic safety action, "safety.mobility.life - Kids in Focus," aims to educate children about these hazards. According to the Bremen Interior Ministry, approximately 7,000 officers will be deployed at 2,180 control points nationwide. They'll be cracking down on speeders, especially near schools, to emphasize the potential risks children face on the road.
Fun Fact: Speeding and insufficient distances contribute to more than a quarter of all traffic accidents (28.2%).
Beyond speed controls, the Bremen Police and local forces in Bremerhaven have planned additional initiatives. In conjunction with the Traffic Safety Association, they intend to provide visual instruction on traffic risks and bicycle training.
Accidents on the Roads of Bremen and Bremerhaven
Visual Content Alert: To view traffic accident statistics in Bremen and Bremerhaven, click here (Datawrapper)
What does Bremen and Bremerhaven have planned for the action day?
The Bremen Police will set up speed control checkpoints near schools. Additionally, the Prevention Center of the Police has prepared a puppet show at Bürgermeister-Smidt School to teach traffic regulations in a child-friendly manner. In Bremerhaven, the local police are collaborating with the State Traffic Safety Association, ADAC, the magistrate, and the Fischtown Pinguins ice hockey club. Their focus will be on the Fritz-Reuter School. Ralf Spoerhase, Managing Director of the Bremen Traffic Safety Association, announces plans to demonstrate the blind spot to students using a truck. The children will have the chance to climb inside the truck and see how limited a driver's visibility can be. The Traffic Safety Association will also simulate various dangerous scenarios on a bicycle simulator, such as vehicles turning or speeding.
Injuries from Traffic Accidents in Bremen and Bremerhaven
Visual Content Alert: To view statistics on injuries from traffic accidents in Bremen and Bremerhaven, click here (Datawrapper)
The Annual Action Day for Road Safety
Since 2018, annual nationwide actions for road safety under the motto "safety.mobility.life" have been taking place, each year with a new focus. Last year, it was all about goods traffic. The action day originated from a resolution of the Interior Ministers' Conference. Bremen's Interior Senator Ulrich Maurer currently holds the chair of the Interior Ministers' Conference, with the spring conference scheduled for June 11-13 in Bremerhaven. As a result, Bremen is leading this year's road safety day, according to the Interior Ministry. The main topics are speed, turning, school route safety, distraction, and parent taxi.
Driving Children to School: Parent's Prerogative or Counterproductive?
Ralf Spoerhase from the Bremen Traffic Safety Association doesn't mind parents driving their children to school in bad weather. However, he emphasizes that this should be the exception. "Children need to learn to assess traffic situations themselves," he says. They typically learn to operate a bicycle and navigate road traffic from classes 3 and 4, earning a bicycle driver's license in the process. Children driven to school in the "parent taxi" don't receive any traffic education, which can be counterproductive.
Hotspots for Traffic Accidents in Bremen and Bremerhaven
According to the Interior Department, there are three traffic accident hotspots in Bremen and Bremerhaven each that the traffic accident commissions of the cities are particularly concerned about. The accident hotspots in Bremen are:
- Stephanibrücke
- Buntentorsteinweg
- Herdentorsteinweg/Breitenweg
The accident hotspots in Bremerhaven are:
- Stresemannstraße/Grimsbystraße
- Langener Landstraße/Parkstraße/Debstedter Weg
- Borriesstraße/Columbusstraße
Bremen's Stephanibrücke: Back in Action
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Radio Bremen might report on the education-and-self-development aspect of the annual action day for road safety in Bremen and Bremerhaven, focusing on the traffic regulations classes for children.
In their general news segment, Radio Bremen could discuss crime-and-justice related issues, such as the statistics on accidents caused by speeding and insufficient distances, which contribute to more than a quarter of all traffic accidents (28.2%).
