Back-to-School Travel Plan

Back To School
Back-to-School Travel Plan
By OCHA Management Office
Apr 10, 2006, 4:12pm

Labor Day has come and gone; the beaches are nearly deserted during the week; the condo pools are closed; college football games have started; and a hint of fall is in the air. What does that mean? Is back to school time for the children.

The following safety tips will assist you in ensuring your child has a safe return to school and remind you of your responsibilities while driving in and around school zones.

Driving children to school

Every passenger must buckle up. Don't exceed the capacity of your vehicle. The number of passengers should not out number the amount of seatbelts available.
Kids in the back! As a general rule, children less than 12 years of age should not ride in the front passenger seat. If there is no alternative, select the largest child to sit in the front and move their seat back away from the dashboard.
Drop children off as close to school as possible. Eliminate the need for children to cross the street. Ensure that all occupants enter and exit your vehicle curbside.
Stay focused on your driving task. If children behave in such a way that makes it difficult to stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings, pull the vehicle off the road into a safe parking area and ensure that the situation is remedied prior to resuming the trip. Know your vehicle.
Know your vehicle's limits and how it responds to a full load of passengers. In busy school areas children may run in front of your vehicle making it necessary to stop suddenly. In a vehicle equipped with four-wheel anti-lock brakes, learn to stomp on the pedal, stay on it firmly and steer where you want the vehicle to go.

Driving in school zones

Follow all posted speed limits. Speed limits are 15 miles per hour in school zones (unless otherwise posted).
In residential areas, be alert for children who may be playing near the street or walking to school. Children often dart out from between parked cars or shrubbery.
Be extra careful around school buses. When red lights are flashing you must STOP. Wait a few extra minutes after the bus is gone to make sure there are no children present.
As always, motorists must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. There will be no warnings issued.

Child safety on school bus

An estimated 25 million students ride school buses daily. Many injuries occur when children are boarding or exiting because a blind spot extends approximately 10 feet in front of the bus, obstructing the view of the driver. Children are not aware of this blind spot and may mistakenly believe that if they can see the bus, the bus driver can see them. A child's behavior at the bus stop is an important aspect of school bus safety. While waiting for the bus, kids should stay out of the street. After getting off the bus, children should walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus if crossing the road.

While on the bus, children should observe the following safety rules:

Remain seated at all times and keep the aisles clear.
Don't throw objects. Don't shout or distract the driver unnecessarily.
Keep your head and arms inside the bus at all times.

Riding bikes to school

Bicycle riding is a favorite pastime of children, with more than 27 million riders ages 14 and under. Whether out of necessity or for fun, many of these children choose to ride their bikes to school.

Unfortunately, bicycles are associated with more childhood injuries than any consumer product other than the automobile. Annually, approximately 200 children, ages 14 and under, die in bicycle-related crashes and many more are injured. The following safety tips are offered to keep your child safe when riding bicycles to school:

Bike helmets should be worn at all times when bicycling. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bike crashes accounting for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths and about 1/3 of hospital emergency room bicycle-related visits.
Bike helmets can reduce risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent.
Purchase an approved bike helmet for each child and make sure that it is worn correctly every time the child rides his or her bike.
Children under age ten do not have the necessary skills to judge the speed or distance of oncoming traffic. Also, their peripheral vision is 1/3 less than that of adults.
Plan a safe route with your children and ride it with them. A safe cycling route may not be the same as a safe walking route. Streets with a steady flow of fast-moving traffic are not appropriate for young cyclists with limited traffic experience.
Follow the rules of the road. Children who ride bikes to school must follow the rules of the road that apply to all vehicles.
Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic; use appropriate hand signals; respect traffic signals; stop and look left, right and left again before crossing the street and any intersections.
Children should not be allowed to ride after dark. Riding in non-daylight conditions is nearly four times more risky for children under 14 than riding during daytime.
Schools should provide cyclists with "safe areas." Bike racks should be placed in areas where there are few motor vehicles and pedestrians. Avoid drop-off and pick-up zones in school parking lots.