S11Ep5 Navigating Perilous School Zones: A Discussion on Children's Safety 21

What do you need to know while dropping your child off at school? How should you navigate through the minefield of school zones? We'll guide you through these questions, referencing research from the National Safety Council, as we explore the unseen perils in school areas and around school buses. 

Host: Tim Page-Bottorff 

Transcript

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Tim Page-Bottorff 0:08

Hey , welcome back to Safe Talk with Safe Start . I'm Tim Page-Bottorff , and time's running out for Old Man's Summer , even if the heat won't , that means kids are heading back to school and it's time for us the drivers and us to boost our eyes and the mind on task . Kids are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings or to catch the bus , and they are notorious for not paying attention . In fact , in some areas , the annual rush fest has already begun . So , in addition to looking for rushing , it's a great time to remind our children about the dangers of rushing . Our producer , Kevin Cobb .

Tim Page-Bottorff 0:44

He recalls an incident from his grade school years . He lived out in the country , so he rode a bus . One of his childhood friends was running behind and was running out the door and the bus was taking off again . His friend hopped a bar ditch , slipping in the morning dew on that grass and slid right under the front of the rear tires of that bus . He amazingly survived , but with massive internal injuries . He missed an entire school year and to this day lives with those consequences from that specific day , and that was over 40 years ago . He was just 13 years old at that time . The child who was run over was not the only victim that day . T hink of the bus driver and surely the regret that haunted him for the rest of his life . And what about the kids on the bus who witnessed that classmate being run over ? You add in parents who are trying to drop off their kids before work , and this is a recipe for disaster . I came across an NSC article that got me thinking about this . So a big shout out to my friends there for doing the heavy lifting on this one . If you're dropping off those schools , they often have very specific drop off procedures and it all depends on a particular school year , but for the most part, it's usually the same . So just make sure know what that know drop-off that procedure is for the safety of all kids .

Tim Page-Bottorff 2:13

Now the following applies to all school zones Now , don't double park , you know that blocks visibility for other children and vehicles . You know, don't load or unload children or cross the street from school and carpool to reduce the number of vehicles that are at the school at one time . And according to the research , again by the National Safety Council , most of those children who lose their in incidents , they're four to seven years old and they're walking , they hit by the bus or by a motorist illegally passing a bus . Of course , a stopped bus .

Tim Page-Bottorff 2:51

Now remember a few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe . Don't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn and forcing pedestrians to go around you . This could put them in the path of the moving traffic or even the line of fire . So in a school zone with flashers or blinking , stop and yield to pedestrians , especially those ones that are crossing the crosswalk or intersection , and always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up that stop sign . And take extra care to look out for children in school zones again , near playgrounds and parks and all those residential areas that you might see children . Don't honk or rev up your engine to scare a pedestrian , even if you have the right away . Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians and always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be , no matter who has the right-of-way .

Tim Page-Bottorff 3:50

If you're driving behind a bus , allow a greater following distance than if you were , you know , driving behind a car , if you will give yourself more time to stop , especially once that yellow light starts to flash again , it's illegal to pass a school bus that stopped to load or unload children . Keep that in mind . So here we go . Never pass a bus from behind or from either direction if you're on an undivided road and if it's stopped or loaded loading or unloading children . Make sure you remember that If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended , traffic's got to stop . Now the area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children , so stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit that bus .

Tim Page-Bottorff 4:37

Be alert children . They're often unpredictable and they tend to ignore the hazards . And of course , as we all know , we were kids once before they like to take risks . Now , if you're around a high school , get your awareness up too . And keep in mind the most experienced driver likely has less than two years of experience behind the wheel at a school . So perhaps the best way to keep everyone safe is to put your phone away while you're driving . Period , full stop , no phone . I turn mine off when I'm behind the wheels as best as I can , and so when thinking about this , you know what we don't want those distractions driving through those zones . That's it for this short episode today, I just wanted to hop on the podcast or remind us all that school is back in session and keep your eyes and mind on task and look out for our little ones . I'm Tim Page-Bottorff for Safe Talk with Safe Start . I will see you down the road .