Multi-agency drive to tackle pedestrian accidents around schools
The City of Kettering and the Kettering City School District have launched a joint initiative, Cross Safe, Kettering, in response to a run of pedestrian accidents near schools late last year. The partnership aims to reduce incidents by combining education, community engagement and closer working between city leaders and the police.
The programme began in earnest this term as pupils returned to classrooms, marking the first full year of activity. City and district officials report they set up the group after hearing concerns from parents and residents about a cluster of collisions near school sites during September and October.
Speaking to local media, Kettering Police Chief Chip Protsman said the number of accidents prompted action. “The end of last year, maybe September, October, we had a string of pedestrian accidents around the schools,” he told reporters. “Had some concerns from parents and residents (that) came up. The schools then recognised, ‘hey there’s an issue here.’ The city agreed. So they decided to form this group to see what we could do to decrease this.”
“We heard some concerns from the community, both the schools and the city (did), and we believe that coming together, working together to try to help solve this problem is a really good thing to do.”
The remark came from Dan Von Handorf, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for the district, who described the arrangement as “another great example of the collaboration that I think is pretty special in Kettering.” He said members of the city leadership, the police department and the school district now meet monthly to co-ordinate efforts.
Education at the heart of the response
A key strand of Cross Safe, Kettering is educational. The city and district have produced a video that will be shown to pupils in school and made available to the wider community online. Officials say the material is designed to inform students, parents and local residents about safe behaviours near school zones.
Beyond the video, the partnership will focus on:
- co-ordinated public messaging to parents and carers;
- school-based sessions to teach pupils safe road-crossing and walking practices;
- monthly multi-agency meetings to review incidents and plan targeted interventions.
Those meetings are intended to keep the programme responsive to problems identified by community members and policing data. School and city officials stressed that bringing different agencies together allows them to pursue both short-term actions — such as awareness campaigns — and longer-term measures where necessary.
Local reaction and next steps
Parents who raised concerns last year welcomed the joint approach. While officials did not publish detailed numbers of last autumn’s incidents in their initial statements, they were clear that the trend was sufficient to prompt a formal response.
Both the city and the school district have committed to sustaining the monthly meetings so they can monitor progress and adapt the campaign. The educational video is central to the initial roll-out; its public posting aims to reach those who do not receive school communications directly.
| Partner | Role |
|---|---|
| Kettering City | Coordination, public messaging, resources |
| Kettering City School District | Pupil education, in-school delivery of materials |
| Kettering Police | Incident data, safety guidance, enforcement support |
Officials emphasised that the approach is pragmatic: education combined with local intelligence and police involvement. They also said they will continue to listen to parents and residents and respond where hotspots are identified.
For families in Kettering, the immediate impact will be the school-based sessions and the online resources aimed at improving pedestrian safety. In the months ahead, the group will assess whether these measures reduce the number of accidents and consider further steps if needed.
Residents can expect to see the video circulating on school and city channels and are encouraged to report concerns about road safety near schools to their local representatives so the Cross Safe group can review and act where necessary.
