New school year – stay alert and keep kids safe
It’s August, which means kids will soon be returning to school, many of them from families without the resources for school supplies, clothes, backpacks, and student fees. Fortunately, multiple organizations exist that provide these items to students and their families.
Is there room in your shopping cart this year to help an underserved school or young person?
If so, please consider donating to your local school supply drive so students have the tools they need to succeed in school.
Likewise, as the new school year begins, expect to see more traffic, especially in school zones. More children and young people will soon be moving about in the mornings and afternoons. Pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle traffic will bump up a couple notches, so it’s incumbent upon us to be more alert and attentive as we drive our communities’ streets, especially in school zones. Kids will be walking, bicycling, and exiting vehicles driven by their parents. New teen drivers will also be out and about.
As fall approaches, motorists need to be especially vigilant by paying close attention to the position of the morning sun. It can appear low enough in the sky to affect our ability to see pedestrians and bicyclists. Remain especially alert when backing out of driveways, driving through neighborhoods, or approaching school zones.
Here are a few more tips from the National Safety Council:
Pedestrians:
- Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic.
- Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections.
- Stay alert and avoid distracted walking.
Bicyclists:
- Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file.
- Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street.
- Stay alert and avoid distracted riding.
- Always wear a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing.
Bus riders:
- Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus.
- Teach your children to stand 6 feet (or three giant steps) away from the curb.
- If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach him or her to walk on the side of the road until they are 10 feet ahead of the bus; your child and the bus driver should always be able to see each other.
Driving your child to school:
- Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school’s drop-off procedure.
- Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street.
- Never pass a bus loading or unloading children.
- The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus.
Teen drivers:
- Car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for teens. Teens crash because they are inexperienced; practice with new drivers every week, before and after they get their license.
- Set a good example; drive the way you want your teen to drive.
And there you go. You may have noticed that all these tips are common sense measures that rely heavily on us to simply be more alert and situationally aware. By paying attention to our surroundings, we can help keep students safe as they travel to and from school. It takes all of us to do our part.
