School's in session: Let's be safe

It’s back-to-school time and you know what that means? 

That’s right the end of summer, the start of high school and middle school sports, children showing their friends their new outfits, backpacks and school supplies. 

But more importantly it means more children walking around the schools and walking around town and more buses on the highways and streets.

We want to take this opportunity to ask everyone to be a little more aware of their surroundings.

It’s not unusual to see children walking around town, after all that’s the reason we live in small town America, so our children feel safe walking in town. But the school year, especially during nice weather, there always seem to be more youth on the streets. 

Take that extra few seconds to check the intersections and make sure a young person isn’t waiting to dart across. Remember the speed limit in the school zones is 20 mph. Whether or not you like where the zones are located, they are there as reminders that people are walking in the area. And, truly, around residential areas, where the schools are located, 20 mph is fast enough.

The National Safety Council offers these tips for motorists: Children are the least predictable pedestrians and the most difficult to see. Take extra care to look out for children not only in school zones, but also in residential areas, playgrounds and parks. 

We ask that our children be careful and parents talk to them about the best routes to walk to school, about checking and double-checking both ways before crossing streets. Don’t assume a car sees you and don’t assume they’ll stop. Wait for them to stop before proceeding across a street. 

The Centers for Disease Control offers these other helpful hints: Cross the street at a designated crosswalk. 

Be careful at intersections where drivers may fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians while turning onto another street. 

It’s safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic. 

We also remind our readers that not every child will be walking to school. Some will be riding bicycles. We ask parents again to teach their child safety rules about riding a bicycle, including that it’s safest to walk your bicycle across an intersection.

Motorists are advised to remember that children can be unpredictable on a bicycle so don’t assume you know what the child is doing. 

Watch for bicycle riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling, especially if the rider is a child. 

And, finally, children will be riding buses. Remember motorists that it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with its flashing red lights on. 

The NSC offers these tips for motorists when they come upon school buses: School buses use yellow flashing lights to alert motorists that they are preparing to stop to load or unload children. Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign arm signals to motorists that the bus is stopped and children are getting on or off the bus. 

All 50 states require that traffic in both directions stop on undivided roadways when students are entering or exiting a school bus. 

Traffic behind the school bus (traveling in the same direction) must stop on divided highways.

We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable school year so let’s watch out for each other.