Keeping our Children safe as they commute to School

September 6^th marks the first day of the 2016 school year and it’s an important time to make safety a paramount consideration.  Not only will children be walking and being driven to school, but traffic volumes and congestion will increase to post-vacation levels.  These circumstances inevitably create increased stress for drivers as well as a higher risk of accidents and injury for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.  

Parents and all road users can certainly all play a part in keeping children safe as we travel to and from school.

Tips for Parents:

• Respect the approved drop off locations at your child’s school, which includes adhering to ‘no stopping’ zones around the school.
• Unless at a school crossing location, don’t drop your child across the street from the school.
• Never double park as it makes it difficult for others to see pedestrians including children coming onto the road.
• Car pool if possible, to reduce the number of cars arriving at school.
• Let your children walk to school if it’s a safe neighbourhood for pedestrians.
• If your children walk to school, remind them of safety rules such as always crossing at an intersection or crosswalk.

Tips for all Drivers:

• Always stop when a school bus displays its flashing lights and extends the stop arm, and keep a safe distance from the bus
• Check carefully for children and other pedestrians walking on the sidewalk before backing out of your driveway
• Adhere to posted speed limits, including reduced speeds (usually 40 km/hr) around school zones.
• Stop well before a crosswalk or intersection so that pedestrians aren’t forced to go around your vehicle and possibly in the path of traffic.
• Watch out and always stop for school crossing guards displaying the ‘stop’ sign.
• Slow down and monitor for children in school zones and around parks.
• Whether or not you have the right of way, always practice caution to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
• Give cyclists plenty of room when passing and always check your side mirrors for upcoming cyclists before turning left, right and before opening your car doors.

One of the most vulnerable locations in terms of school safety is around school buses as children are embarking and disembarking.  Parents should remind their children to always given plenty of room between themselves, the bus and/or another vehicle when crossing the road.  Also, be sure that a driver sees you, including the bus driver, before crossing the street in front of the bus or another vehicle.

In the majority of cases, accidents involving school children can be avoided when drivers take care.  The City of Hamilton recently published a number of reminders for parents, students and commuters to help keep our children safe.  One of the most important safety tips affects all road users, as it is a reminder to avoid distractions such as talking on the phone, eating and drinking coffee, in order to optimize our attention on the road and all around us. Another important tip is to give yourself adequate time to get to school or work during the higher traffic volumes, so that there is no temptation to rush or speed.  Further, drivers are reminded that when they stop for the flashing lights on a school bus, always remain stopped until the lights stop flashing.

Let’s do everything possible to avoid injuries to our school children by taking extra safety precautions in the upcoming weeks and continuing throughout the school year.  Your Hamilton car accident lawyers wish everyone a safe and successful school year.  

Sources:

National Safety Council:  (http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/back-to-school-safety-tips-for-drivers.aspx?cmpid=pkgb_twitter)

http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/6835168-back-to-school-safety-tips/)