Back-to-school traffic safety tips

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jason Mills
  • 47th Flying Training Wing chief of safety
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  It's that time of year. That's right...school is about to start. As the summer winds down, the last thing on many people's minds might be school zone safety. But, tragically each year, we injure and lose precious children due to accidents in and around bus stops, school zones, crosswalks and school buses.Please observe a few simple rules:

1) Obey all posted speed limits, especially in school zones.

2) Do not talk on your cell phone or text message in a posted school zone. It is illegal in Texas and distracted driving is a killer.

3) Never pass a school bus loading or unloading children. If ever in doubt, stop and wait.
For the parents out there, here are a few simple rules to help ensure a safer school environment for your children:

1) Do not park in red zones or block bus loading zones. This forces other children to walk further to the school and increases their risk as they navigate through the street or parking lot.

2) Avoid dropping children off mid-block. This encourages them to cross streets outside the confines of crosswalks and the support of crossing guards. Insist they walk to the corner and use posted crosswalk. Perhaps, even more importantly, lead by example when you cross the street.

3) If your children ride the bus, remind them to look both ways as they step off the vehicle and always make sure they have eye contact with the bus driver before they cross in front of the bus.

4) Teach them to never go back for anything on the bus or bend down in front of or near the bus. The 10 foot bubble around a school bus is the most common area for accidents. In fact, most school bus accidents occur when the bus is stopped and the child is not on the bus.

At the end of the day, we can all take a proactive role in ensuring the safety of school age children, whether they belong to us or not. Please, do the right thing and watch for them. With the excitement of a new school year on their mind, they won't be watching for you.