Aug 21, 2008 - Back to school safety tips.
It's back to school time for hundreds of thousands of students, parents, educators and school staff in Canada and the United States.
The latest available statistics for road casualty collisions (2006) show little change from 2005 (-2.2 per cent), while the number of fatalities decreased 0.4 per cent and injuriesropped 2.5 per cent. There were 2,889 road fatalities in 2006 compared with 2,905 in 2005. Transport Canada’s national surveys of rural seat belt use in 2006, combined with the results of the urban seat belt use survey in 2007, reveal that 92.5 per cent of occupants of light-duty vehicles buckle up and 93.8 per cent of passenger car drivers use seat belts.
Each year in the United States, about 450,000 public school buses travel 4.3 billion miles to transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities.
In 2007, there were 1,244 collisions either directly or indirectly involving a school bus in Kentucky, resulting in 410 injuries and three fatalities.
According to government statistics approximately 45 pedestrians are killed annually nationwide every year in school bus/pedestrian accidents. Of those accidents about 80% of the pedestrians killed are students. 2/3 of the total number of fatalities are struck by the front of the bus. During the last two years, two children in Washington have died after being run over by the front wheels of a bus.
In an attempt to lower the number of school bus/pedestrian accidents, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia have mandated the use of crossing control arms mounted to the front of all school buses. When extended the force students to walk at least five feet in front of the bus, which keeps the students within the bus driver's view.
“Traffic is increasing in and around school zones and school buses are on the road again. Safety on our highways and in school zones is the responsibility of every driver. We all need to be especially aware of the extra road and pedestrian traffic that comes with the start of school.”
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Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when school buses begin to roll:
•Allow enough time to get to school or to work. Leave earlier to avoid speeding.
•Obey all of the signs in the school zone. Flashing yellow lights are used to indicate school speed zones, in which fines can be doubled.
•Pay extra attention at crosswalks to make sure that no students are crossing.
•Watch for school bus stops. Red flashing lights and the extended “STOP” arm signal other motorists to come to a complete stop. On a highway with a divided median, motorists approaching a school bus stopped on the same side of the road on which they are traveling must stop. Motorists traveling in the opposite direction of the bus, on a divided highway, should not stop. Motorists are reminded to be extra cautious at bus stops. Watch for children playing and gathering near bus stops.
•Make sure children are in safety seats or restrained properly on the way to school.
•Watch for children walking in the street, especially where there are no sidewalks.
Use extreme caution and "drive smart!
The importance of highway safety cannot be overstated. Please buckle up, slow down and drive smart.
It's back to school time for hundreds of thousands of students, parents, educators and school staff in Canada and the United States.
The latest available statistics for road casualty collisions (2006) show little change from 2005 (-2.2 per cent), while the number of fatalities decreased 0.4 per cent and injuriesropped 2.5 per cent. There were 2,889 road fatalities in 2006 compared with 2,905 in 2005. Transport Canada’s national surveys of rural seat belt use in 2006, combined with the results of the urban seat belt use survey in 2007, reveal that 92.5 per cent of occupants of light-duty vehicles buckle up and 93.8 per cent of passenger car drivers use seat belts.
Each year in the United States, about 450,000 public school buses travel 4.3 billion miles to transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities.
In 2007, there were 1,244 collisions either directly or indirectly involving a school bus in Kentucky, resulting in 410 injuries and three fatalities.
According to government statistics approximately 45 pedestrians are killed annually nationwide every year in school bus/pedestrian accidents. Of those accidents about 80% of the pedestrians killed are students. 2/3 of the total number of fatalities are struck by the front of the bus. During the last two years, two children in Washington have died after being run over by the front wheels of a bus.
In an attempt to lower the number of school bus/pedestrian accidents, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia have mandated the use of crossing control arms mounted to the front of all school buses. When extended the force students to walk at least five feet in front of the bus, which keeps the students within the bus driver's view.
“Traffic is increasing in and around school zones and school buses are on the road again. Safety on our highways and in school zones is the responsibility of every driver. We all need to be especially aware of the extra road and pedestrian traffic that comes with the start of school.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when school buses begin to roll:
•Allow enough time to get to school or to work. Leave earlier to avoid speeding.
•Obey all of the signs in the school zone. Flashing yellow lights are used to indicate school speed zones, in which fines can be doubled.
•Pay extra attention at crosswalks to make sure that no students are crossing.
•Watch for school bus stops. Red flashing lights and the extended “STOP” arm signal other motorists to come to a complete stop. On a highway with a divided median, motorists approaching a school bus stopped on the same side of the road on which they are traveling must stop. Motorists traveling in the opposite direction of the bus, on a divided highway, should not stop. Motorists are reminded to be extra cautious at bus stops. Watch for children playing and gathering near bus stops.
•Make sure children are in safety seats or restrained properly on the way to school.
•Watch for children walking in the street, especially where there are no sidewalks.
Use extreme caution and "drive smart!
The importance of highway safety cannot be overstated. Please buckle up, slow down and drive smart.
