Wisconsin school children are among the most likely victims of pedestrian accidents. Many children walk to and from school and it is disturbingly common for distracted motorists to fail to see schoolchildren crossing the street. In order to reduce the hazards that many schoolchildren face every day, several school zones in Wauwatosa are going to get a revamp.

Pedestrian accidents are traumatizing experiences for anyone to go through, especially schoolchildren. The studies into the safety of the Wauwatosa's school crossings happened after a Longfellow Middle School student suffered a broken leg and other personal injuries after a driver blew past a crossing guard and slammed into the student. One bystander said that the boy did a "complete flip" in the air after being hit.

This horrific accident did not surprise local school officials and district aldermen. School crossing accidents are common throughout the city especially in the tightly packed school area on Center Street where Eisenhower Elementary, Whitman Middle, and West High are located. Children were being hit by cars at alarming rates and local officials did not want to see the numbers of personal injuries continue to rise.

"For 50 years it's been a problem; it's time to take care of it," one alderman said.

The city and the school district will fund crosswalk improvements which include broad, colored crosswalks. The intersections will also have dedicated traffic signals with large lights for maximum visibility and "demand-driven" push-walk signals that will allow students plenty of time to cross the street.

Source: Wauwatosa Patch, "Three Hazardous Crossing Zones Get Assists from Schools, City, DOT," Jim Price, Feb. 2, 2012