Back To School Means It's Time For A School Zone Safety Refresher
School zones are busy areas with school back in session. With no shortage of children, parents, crossing guards, cars, and school buses going in and out of the area during the day, it’s time to brush up on how to drive safely in school zones and take the necessary steps to reduce the risk of accidents in school zones and residential areas.
Only 34% Of Parents Described School Zones as Safe
Drivers Need To Be Educated About Safe Driving In School Zones
Our children are not the only ones that need to get adjusted to the new school schedule. Drivers do too. Based on the data from a recent school zone safety survey, it seems as though drivers need to brush up on their driving skills and review school zone safety.
Our school zone safety survey reveals that drivers are violating traffic laws and safety rules in school zones, creating dangerous drop-off and pick-up conditions. In fact, about one third of parents feel as though their child may be involved in a vehicle accident on their way to/from school – A statistic that creates cause for concern.
Add to this that 80% of people have witnessed drivers violating safety procedures in school zones, and there is no doubt there is work to do to create awareness and improve safety conditions. For drivers, it starts with making a conscious effort to slow down, pay attention, and expect the unexpected when driving near school and parks. If every driver made the extra effort, we could easily reduce the number of accidents in school zones.
Areas That Need To Be Improved
The data suggests that in order to improve safety improvements need to be make in the following areas:
- Road safety
- School drop off and pick up procedure for parents
- School zone drop off/pick up design
- Enforcement of school zone safety rules and regulations
How Can We Make Our School Zones Safer?
- Consider carpooling
- Walk your kids to school
- Have a defined pick up/drop off area
- Avoid driving through school zones if possible
See our School Zone Safety Tip Sheet.
These tips will help reduce the volume of traffic in school zones, something that will make them safer and reduce the odds of accidents occurring. The newer vehicles that are present in school zones, the safer it will be for students and school buses.