Back to School Safety Tips
As summer winds down, families are focused on getting children back to school. Amidst all of the shopping and adjusting of your schedule, it’s important to take time to talk to young students about safety. Taking the bus and walking to or from school puts children at an increased risk for car accidents. Unfortunately, these can result in serious and potentially life-threatening personal injuries. For parents and people throughout the community, it is important to be aware of how you can help prevent these accidents from occurring. Consider these back to school safety tips.
Drivers: Be Aware of Back to School Traffic
Even if you don’t have children heading back to school, it’s important to use some extra caution at this time of year. Routes you follow on errands or on your way to work may go directly past schools, crosswalks, or athletic fields. These will all be a hub of activity, particularly as everyone adjusts to new schedules during late August and September.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 300 children are killed each year in transportation accidents. In the majority of cases, these crashes do not involve school buses, but rather drivers in other vehicles. To protect yourself and the children, follow these tips:
Be mindful of school children in your neighborhood and on sidewalks when driving.
Use extreme caution when approaching crosswalks and any intersection near a school.
Follow reduced speed limit signs in the busy morning and afternoon hours, when children are most likely traveling to and from home.
Allow yourself extra time to get to work to avoid aggressive driving behaviors such as improper yielding, failing to yield, and speeding.
Stay focused on what is going on around you and avoid distractions such as talking on cell phones and texting.
Back to School Safety Tips For Parents
Depending on where you live in Aiken, your child may walk, bike, or ride the bus to school. For parents, the National Safety Council offers the following safety tips:
For walkers: Accompany young children to and from school. Encourage older children to walk purposefully, remain on sidewalks at all times, and to cross only at designated intersections.
For bicyclists: Teach your children to ride in single file on the right side of the road, and to obey all traffic signs and signals. Make sure their bike has reflectors and that your child wears bright colors and an approved safety helmet.
For bus riders: Teach children to wait in an orderly fashion at the bus stop, standing three giant steps away from the curb. The bus should come to a complete stop before they attempt to get on or off.
Contact Us Today for Help
At the Surasky Law Firm, LLC, we are dedicated to protecting the people of our community. When accidents and injuries impact you or those you love, contact our Aiken personal injury attorney and request a consultation to find out how we can help.
