To paraphrase noted philosopher Alice Cooper, school’s back…forever. OK, maybe “forever” is overstating things a little, even if it sometimes feels like it for students on that first day of classes (and for their parents, who may have many months of helping with homework ahead of them).
What isn’t an overstatement is that the start of school – Aug. 10 in Hillsborough County, Aug. 13 in Pasco and Polk counties – calls for heightened awareness in the landscape of cars and pedestrians. No matter who you are or where you go, there’s a school zone nearby. There will be many school buses on the road. Students will be waiting at bus stops and crossing streets. And the shape of our days will take on a different character as people get to and from their destinations.
As researched by Sr. Coordinator of Safety and Industrial Health Steve Garren, from 2006 through 2015, 301 school-aged children were killed in school transportation-related crashes. Meanwhile, the National Safe Routes to School program reports that cars are more likely to hit children near schools than anywhere else. What should be a time of friends reconvening after summer break and growing toward responsible adulthood is too often derailed in a heartbeat by one wrong move by one person.
From the National Safety Council, here’s some guidance we each owe it to ourselves to re-learn, remember, and always follow:
- Leave for work a little earlier in the morning as school starts so you’re not in a rush; expect more traffic and slowdowns.
- If you’re driving your children to school, familiarize yourself with the school’s drop-off procedures, which may have changed since last spring.
- Don’t drop off children at school in a spot where they’ll have to cross the street to get there.
- At stoplights, especially during times when students may be walking to or from school, avoid easing into the crosswalk, which might force children to walk around you and into the path of another vehicle.
- ALWAYS note school zones and the posted speed limit, but that should never be the end of your awareness – be hypervigilant for students, especially young ones, who might try to dash across a road unexpectedly when and where they aren’t supposed to.
- ALWAYS stop when a school bus has its stop sign extended – but don’t always expect students to cross the road right away; proceed with utmost caution as the bus starts to move, staying alert for young people.
- Remember the rules for traffic with a school bus in the roadway: On a two-lane road (or a four-lane road with a paved median), vehicles traveling in both directions must stop when school buses raise their signs. On a road with an unpaved median or raised barrier, vehicles traveling the same direction as the bus must stop – and even though those on the other side of the road aren’t required to stop, they should always use extra caution.
These are just a few things to focus in the months ahead regarding safety of all kinds. Before long, school in session will seem normal again…but that’s all the more reason to avoid getting lulled into complacency where student and pedestrian safety is involved. Your caution and good judgment can help ensure any child you see in a school zone – and anywhere in the community, for that matter – has an opportunity to rise to the head of the class. Failure to do so, with young lives in the balance, could plunge you and so many others into the depths of despair.
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