These signs may only be installed on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. A guardian will need to provide proof of the child’s residency and have documentation from a doctor or specialist.
This indicates the street is a private street and Salt Lake County does not provide road maintenance.
Contact us at our 24/7 number at (385) 468-3101. This is considered a high priority and needs to be taken care of immediately.
Phone Number (385) 468-3101
The County does not permit the use of these signs on County streets because they tend to give parents and children a false sense of security. Children should be encouraged to play well away from the street. Also, drivers need to watch for children at all times not just in areas with these signs.
Concerned parents often make request for generalized warning signs such as, "Children at Play" or "Slow Children" for their neighborhood. The thought of concerned parents is that these signs will provide a level of protection for their children. However, studies have shown that these types of signs do not afford the desired protection that is sought after. Studies have generally shown that signs attempting to warn of normal conditions in a residential area have failed to provide the desired safety benefit. Cities that have used these signs showed no evidence of a reduction in pedestrian accidents, vehicular speeds or legal liability.
The current consensus is that the signs provide a false sense of security to parents and children that believe the sign gives them an extra degree of protection, which these signs do not and cannot provide. The signs also give a direct and open suggestion that the behavior is acceptable, which it is not. The use of the signs could open the County to tort liability. For these reasons the County does not recognize and discourages the use of these signs. This policy meets Federal Standards that discourages the use of these signs.
What can parents do? Children should be encouraged to stay in their yard to play and to not play in the street (i.e. basketball standards). Parents can teach their children how to use crosswalks and ask an adult to retrieve items that may end up in the road. Most traffic issues in a neighborhood are caused by the people that live there. Residents are encouraged to drive/bike the appropriate speed in their neighborhood as well as use caution, obey all traffic laws and be considerate and watch out for each other. Give yourself extra time to get to your destination.
An often heard neighborhood request concerns the posting of generalized warning signs with "Children at Play", "Slow Children" or other similar messages. Parental concern for the safety of children in the streets near home and a misplaced but widespread public faith in the ability of traffic signs to provide protection often prompt these requests.
At first consideration it might seem that "Children at Play" type signs would provide protection for youngsters playing in a neighborhood. They do not.
Studies have generally shown that many types of signs attempting to warn of normal conditions in residential areas have failed to achieve the desired safety benefits. Studies made in cities where such signs were widely posted in residential areas showed no evidence of having reduced pedestrian accidents, vehicular speeds, or legal liability.
These studies have further shown that "Children at Play" type signs are more dangerous than no sign at all because they create a false sense of security. If signs encourage parents and children to believe they have an added degree of protection, which these signs do not and cannot provide, then a great disservice results.
Children should not be encouraged to play in the street. These type of signs have long been rejected because they are a direct and open suggestion that this behavior is acceptable. In addition their use could open the County to tort liability. Because of these serious considerations the County does not recognize and Federal standards discourage use of "Children at Play" type signs. Unfortunately it has been our experience that most of the traffic problems within a neighborhood are caused by the residents in that area. Perhaps exerting sufficient social pressure on the offender or slowing the pace of modern life might alleviate most of these traffic problems. For the above reasons the County cannot provide nor allow the use of "Children at Play" type signs along public streets.
