A temporary digital traffic sign in Burnaby did more than throw up a car's speed. It flashed a photo of the vehicle, too, if it was illegally speeding in a school zone, for all to see.
With 540,000 B.C. students returning to school this week, the Community Against Preventable Injuries (also known as Preventable) wanted to remind drivers in a unique way to pay attention to the 30 km/hour school zones.
According to the organization, statistics show that two B.C. children could die by a pedestrianrelated injury during the first week of school.
"With our campaign it makes people pause for a moment and think about their speed," said Allan Lamb, spokesperson for Preventable and president/chief operating officer of the BCAA Road Safety Foundation. "It is a discreet, subtle and hopefully strong way to get people to drive safely."
Last year, three pedestrians were killed by traffic incidents in Burnaby, Lamb said, adding that September and October are two major months for pedestrian incidents.
"As children head back to school, everyone needs to be reminded of school zones," Lamb said. "We see a lot of pedestrian-related injuries in September and October with children aged five to 14 years at the greatest risk for pedestrian-related fatalities."
"The key to reducing serious injuries truly is behaviours and attitudes - with this innovative digital billboard, we're reminding drivers to have a word with yourself and make smart driving decisions."
The three paneled digital billboard was situated by Burnaby schools for two days this week before going off to Surrey for another two days.
"It's a marriage of both the laser speed gun police use and traffic cameras," Lamb said. "The speed triggers the image on the screen."
This is the first time this technology has been used in North America, according to Lamb.
"We put the sign in Burnaby and Surrey, not because there's a higher risk or anything, but because they were both very receptive when we made initial contact," Lamb added.
The left and right panels are static and read, "Before you rush through here, have a word with yourself."
Earlier this week, cars speeding past Aubrey Elementary would see their car in the middle panel pictured with the words "School Zone" at the top and "Slow Down!" at the bottom for 20 seconds.
"Children are vulnerable on the roads so we want to encourage drivers to slow down and take caution around school zones to maximize road safety," Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said. "We believe in saving lives and reducing injuries. Partnering with Preventable on this campaign will help us achieve these goals."
Although the sign will only be up for the first week back to school, Lamb said it is a sufficient amount of time to get the attention of drivers and make a difference.
Last year, Preventable received international attention for its 3D illusion pavement image of a small girl chasing a ball, as another preventable injury initiative - another first in Canada.
