Contributed by Tony Lafazanis Personal Injury Lawyer. As we navigate through the pandemic, children are now back to school. It has been almost 6 months since they were last at school.
School zones require special attention. The following are some road safety tips, if followed, to minimize the chance of getting into a car accident or even worse, hitting a child.
- Drive slower! Speed limits in school zones are generally lower than other roads. Observe these rules. Stop for a school bus when its light is flashing. Children are getting out of the school bus when the lights on signs are flashing. Do not move forward until the flashing stops.
- Obey crossing guards at school intersections. They are hired for a reason, to direct traffic and make sure children cross the street, to and from school safely.
- Do not pass other vehicles in school zones. When you are focused on overtaking a car, you may not see or pay attention to children walking on the crosswalk or other slow moving cars either dropping off children or picking them up.
- Driving Fundamentals: Anticipate. This is essential especially in a school zone. Children may be playing or talking without paying attention to traffic, and come out onto the road.
- School Parking Lot Safety. School parking lots are usually small and only big enough to accommodate the teachers’ cars. Trying to navigate around this tight area could result in bumping into other cars as well as hitting children that dart out between the teachers’ cars. Go very slow.
- Distractions lead to accidents. As explained several times above, children dart out onto the road in front of a school because many of them are not thinking about their safety. Being distracted puts you at risk of not being focused enough to anticipate, and if needed make last second snap decisions to avoid an accident.
www.TLLawCanHelp.com
