Excerpted from the National Safety Council eNewsletter
School days bring congestion: Yellow school buses are picking up their charges, kids on bikes are hurrying to get to school before the bell rings, harried parents are trying to drop their kids off before work.
It's never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present – especially before and after school.
- Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids.
- Most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus.
- If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car.
- Children riding bikes create special problems for drivers because usually they are not able to properly determine traffic conditions.
By exercising a little extra care and caution, drivers and pedestrians can co-exist safely in school zones.
Graphic and text excerpted from the National Safety Council August e-Newsletter. Read the complete report to refresh your driver-safety habits at http://www.nsc.org/learn/safety-knowledge/Pages/back-to-school-safety-tips-for-drivers.aspx