School starting, so drive safely
Published 6:00 pm Monday, August 12, 2019
Area schools have started their first day of the new school year, which is often chaotic and confusing, and a day when all drivers should be extra careful when passing through a school zone or dropping off children at school.
There will be school buses traveling their routes picking up children; kids on bikes hurrying to school before the bell rings; long lines of cars dropping off students and kids walking to school and being crossed by school crossing guards.
Make sure you obey also school zone speed limit signs, watch out for kids and slow down. If you are dropping off kids, obey all the school rules for the procedure, don’t double park, don’t unload children across the street from the school and car pool to reduce the number of vehicles at school.
The National Safety Council also advises that research shows most children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4-7 years old, and they’re walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. The NSC recommends the following safety precautions to drivers:
l Don’t block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic.
l In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection.
l Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign.
l Take extra care to look out for children in a school zone.
Here are some additional NSC tips for driving with school buses on the road:
l Never pass a bus from behind — or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road — if it is stopped to load or unload children.
l If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
l The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.
l Be alert; children are often unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks.
For more school safety tips, go to the National Safety Council web site at www.nsc.org.
