School has begun for most children in our area, and Palatine Fire Department released a public service announcement this week to emphasize awareness of how motorists share the road with school buses, bicycles, children walking, and parents rushing their kids to school. It’s never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention, than when kids are present, especially before and after school.
The Palatine Fire Department and the National Safety Council (NSC) offer these important safety tips.
If you’re dropping off children at school …
• Follow the school’s drop off procedures.
• Don’t double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles.
• Don’t unload or load children across the street from the school.
• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school.
Sharing the road with young pedestrians
According to research by the NSC, most of the children who lose their lives in bus related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they are walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus.
A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:
• Don’t block crosswalks when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn.
• Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign.
• Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they are, no matter who has the right of way.
Sharing the road with school buses
If you’re driving behind a bus, allow greater following distance compared to driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.
• Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children.
• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
• Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks.
The Palatine Fire Department reminds all drivers to pay extra attention during this back to school season.
Stay informed with news from The Cardinal’s Emergencies Behind the Scenes Facebook page — Facebook.com/CardinalEmergencies. Includes links to favorite public safety and emergency rescuers and product manufacturers and safety companies that have facebook pages. Submit your pictures or just stay up-to-date on with fire, rescue, EMS and police photo galleries. Please add your public safety photo to the wall album — go direct to the Arlington Cardinal Emergencies Behind the Scenes photos. For a list of all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages, go to Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor
No matter how your children get to school, make sure safety is on your list. Check out our #BackToSchool Safety Checklist, and you'll know how to keep them safe every step of the way. https://t.co/eBFYT1VOok #KeepEachOtherSafe pic.twitter.com/KLI10ftO62
— NSC (@NSCsafety) August 23, 2019
Nearly 170K Americans die each year to preventable causes. We can eliminate these deaths together. NSC CEO @LorraineMMartin shares a vision for how we can get there: https://t.co/1WoKlH02NU pic.twitter.com/HG9iyjmav6
— DriveitHOME (@DriveitHOME) August 21, 2019
Kids move unexpectedly. Always be aware of your surroundings while backing up. pic.twitter.com/O6GZutUD2J
— NHTSA (@NHTSAgov) August 21, 2019
No matter how your children get to school – walking, taking the bus, riding a bike, driving themselves or getting dropped off by you – there is risk. To get them there safely, you'll want a plan, and these tips by @NSCsafety can provide that: https://t.co/kA3IxwpjW1 @DriveitHOME pic.twitter.com/C3Hdjao3AQ
— Lorraine Martin (@LorraineMMartin) August 19, 2019