Every August, students from ages 3 to 23 head to school after a summer break. From pre-school to college, back-to-school time means motorists, parents, and students must watch out for more traffic around school zones.
Here are some back-to-school safety guides for students, parents, and motorists as they navigate the multitude of students heading back to the halls of academia.
School Safety Starts at Home
Safety when returning to school starts at home. Parents of younger kids need to know when school starts, when school lets out, and where to park when dropping off their children. It’s also essential for parents to let their children know what to expect when going back to school. Consider taking time out of your day on the weekend before school starts to practice getting into a school routine. Take your child to school as if it were a school day to show where your youngster will be dropped off.
School Bus Safety
If your child takes a bus, go over bus safety rules. Never leave the bus stop area. Always wait until the bus driver says it’s safe to get on or off the bus. Always tell the bus driver if there is a problem. Bus drivers in Texas have undergone extra training to try to identify any children who seem to be going through a difficult time to try to help them.
The NHTSA says that kids should:
- Remain five steps away from the curb
- Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop and then wait for the driver to signal
- Face forward when riding on the bus
- Exit the bus after it stops and look left, right, and then left again before crossing any streets
If there are COVID protocols in place, help your child wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, practice social distancing, and frequent handwashing to prevent the transmission of germs. According to the CDC, keep your son or daughter home from school if your child is sick.
Walking or Biking to School
Talk with your child about walking or biking to school. Then practice a few times before the school year starts.
The National Safety Council recommends everyone walks on sidewalks when one is available. If there isn’t a sidewalk available, walk facing traffic (on the left). Look left, right, and left again before crossing a street, and always cross at crosswalks. If a crossing guard is near a school, cross where that person is. Always stay alert when walking.
For bicyclists, they should follow the rules of the road. Ride on the right side, with the flow of traffic, single-file. Come to a complete stop before crossing a street, and walk your bike across that street. Stay alert at all times. Always have your child wear a correctly fitted bike helmet and bright clothing. The colorful clothing helps your youngster stand out to motorists. If possible, ride on residential streets rather than traversing busy intersections.
Discuss Security With Your Child
Several school districts in Texas, including some in the Dallas area, have implemented tighter security protocols due to the mass shooting in Uvalde in May 2022. All middle and high school students in Dallas must use mesh or clear backpacks on campus. The Dallas Independent School District will distribute 100 metal-detecting wands to elementary schools that want to use them. There are 400 metal detectors at middle or high schools.
Discuss what these security measures mean for your child. Let your child know how to navigate these security methods and ensure your youngster always listens to teachers and school authorities such as security or resource officers.
Drivers Must Be Safe, Too
Back-to-school safety involves motorists, as well. The key is slowing down and staying alert when driving through residential neighborhoods or schools.
If you’re near a school bus, remember two main principles:
- Yellow flashing lights on a school bus indicate you should slow down because it’s about to stop. Kids are about to get off or on, and nearby parents could be waiting to pick them up or make sure they get on the bus safely.
- Red flashing lights mean stop and wait at least 20 feet from the bus. Children are getting on or off. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus begins moving again. Be alert as you back out of a driveway around school start and end times just in case some kids are walking or biking to or from school.
Drivers Must Watch for Walkers and Bikers
If you drive your child to school, always slow down near school zones and stay alert for children walking or biking to school. Follow the school’s drop-off procedure. Some schools require you to have a nameplate to show a teacher managing the pick-up point. Others have different identification methods to ensure kids get to the right vehicle.
Pay attention to school buses. They make frequent stops, and it’s the law that you must stop when the bus flashes its red lights. Stop 10 feet or more away from a school bus to ensure kids have enough room to navigate where they need to go.
Despite Safety Measures, Accidents and Personal Injuries Still Happen Near Schools
Did you know that five teens are killed in pedestrian accidents every week in the United States? SafeKids.org observed 39,000 middle and high school students and 56,000 drivers in school zones as part of a comprehensive study. 44% of the teens were wearing headphones, with 31% using a cellphone, both of which distract walkers who step out in front of traffic. Unsafe crossing behavior was observed in 80% of teen students.
What’s startling is that half of all school zones in the United States have speed limits above 20 miles per hour, and 30 percent lack marked crosswalks. What could these schools do in those areas to reduce accidents?
Safety has improved steadily since 1995, with the death rate of child pedestrians under age 12 dropping 74% from 1995 to 2015. The fatality rate only dropped 37% for teens in that same span, so there is still much work to do.
Around 25,000 children are injured, and 100 are killed every year in accidents happening in school zones. And these accidents occur during daylight hours when kids are out and about. While traffic signals, signage, and crosswalks are the most effective ways to prevent accidents, everyone must do their part to improve school safety. The leading causes of these accidents are distracted drivers and distracted walkers.
An average of 120 people are killed every year in accidents with school buses. 70% of these deaths occurred in vehicles other than the bus. 16% of the deaths were pedestrians. According to the NSC, only 5% were school bus occupants.
The NSC states that a school bus is the safest way for kids to arrive at school.
Bennett Injury Law Can Help You With a Personal Injury Case
Despite our best precautions, we still might find ourselves as the victim of an accident. The experienced attorneys at Bennett Injury Law can help you if you’ve been injured due to another person’s negligence.
Contact our legal team for more information if you live in the Dallas area.
