Back to School Safety
Posted by awti3rdeye on September 7, 2011
Around the country, children are heading back to school if they have not already. It is a nerve wracking time of year for the little ones and their parents. One less thing they need to worry about, is if they are going to be safe. When leaving for work, look behind you and in all directions before backing up, especially if you live near a bus stop. Be mindful of school zones; your call, email, or text can surely wait. Along with those tips, here are 5 more to follow all year, but especially as you get used to the kids being out and about again.
1.) Observe School Zone Speeds
Although you should be obeying posted speed limits all the time, it is especially important during the school year. Children are continually crossing roads on their way to and from school and often aren’t paying attention, so going slowly and being vigilant is extremely crucial to keeping kids safe. In addition, children are often out at recess, lunch hour, and for certain classes, so it’s important to drive slowly the whole day and not just during high traffic times in the morning and afternoon.
2.) Obey the Crossing Guard
The crossing guard is there to keep children safe. So, if you come up to a set of lights, and the light turns green in your favour, but the crossing guard still says stop, his/her direction takes precedence. There might be a child still crossing the street that you can’t see or something else. Whatever the reason, they are trying to keep kids from harm, so it’s important to do what they say.
3.) Exercise Caution around School Buses
The school bus is a great way for kids to get to and from school, however, because of the large amount of children entering and exiting the bus at various stops, it’s imperative that extra caution is used when driving around a school bus. Obviously, you shouldn’t pass a school bus when the signal lights are flashing (as kids are often crossing the road at that time), and in addition, you should always watch your speed around school buses as a generally precautionary measure.
4.) Watch for Darting Children
Kids are small, excitable creatures and unfortunately for drivers, this can create dangerous situations on the roads. It’s important to be continually vigilant and alert behind the wheel this back to school season. You never know when a small child might dart out from between two parked cars and your fast reflexes are what’s needed to prevent an accident.
5.) Don’t Forget about the Frosh
It’s back to school season for more than just little kids. If you live in an area that has a college or university, you’re probably used to the massive number of students invading your home town each fall, and probably don’t think much of it. However these students are often not as cautious as they normally would be (especially if it’s their freshman year), and cross the roads without looking. Being extra vigilant around these students could save both an accident and a life.
