Using Data to Make Georgia’s School Zones Safer

Every day, children cross streets near schools hoping to get to class safely. But speeding cars threaten their safety, turning school zones into places where caution is critical.

At Kennesaw State University, civil engineering professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sunanda Dissanayake, is digging into a key question: Do automated speed enforcement devices actually make these zones safer? And if so, how can we use this data to offer recommendations that help local governments and transportation authorities create guidelines?

What We Know: Slowing Down Saves Lives

“Look at the basic laws of physics,” Dissanayake explained. “If you go faster than what is desired and there’s a collision between two or more things, the damage is going to be higher due to the higher energy dissipation. That means more injuries and more fatalities, and this is especially harmful in school zones because we are dealing with the vulnerable population of young children.”

Using a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation, Dissanayake is analyzing crash data from locations with and without automated speed enforcement cameras. She’s looking closely at not just how many crashes happen, but also how severe they are.

“This is where policy and engineering kind of come hand in hand. Not every driver will like this kind of policy, but on the other hand, if we can compromise a little bit, it will improve the safety of all road users.” — Sunanda Dissanayake, professor and chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Kennesaw State University.

What’s in the Data?

Dissanayake has worked on more than 50 research projects in this area. For this project, she is looking at key data that will objectively inform the usefulness of radar speed signs. Her research pulls from three types of information:

1. Crash data: Details about when and where crashes occurred, comparing areas with automated speed enforcement devices to those without, including how often crashes happened and their severity.
2. Field data: Speed readings from the enforcement devices themselves.
3. Survey data: What local drivers think and feel about these devices.

“For the most part, we are all drivers,” Dissanayake said. “And especially in Georgia, everybody loves to drive fast. When it’s very congested, you can’t really speed, but if it is open, we feel free to drive faster.”

Evidence-based Safety for Schools and Communities

Dissanayake’s work goes beyond collecting data. She’s helping shape policy. By showing whether automated speed enforcement works, she can guide local governments and law enforcement to invest resources where they could improve safety.

“Speed management is always a challenge for the transportation community,” she said. “Because if you drive, you know that we always drive above the speed limit when conditions permit it.”

As debate continues over automated speed enforcement, Dissanayake’s research will provide clear, science-backed answers about its potential to save lives—especially involving schoolchildren.

Explore how KSU’s research is on the rise.