The new school year is right around the corner. This means that there will be more traffic on the roads, including school buses and bicyclists. It’s vital to keep everyone safe during back to school time when everyone is getting used to the extra traffic and earlier schedules. If you are not careful, you could have a close call or a potentially fatal accident with a school bus, child or bicyclist. Our Nashville personal injury attorneys off these back to school driving safety tips.
Follow These Tennessee Back to School Driving Safety Tips
Avoid Speeding
The most important thing you can do to keep students, bus drivers, bicyclists, and others safe is to avoid speeding. If you drive at or below the speed limit, you’ll have more time to brake if a child runs in front of your car, a bicyclist crosses your path, or another driver runs a stop sign or red light. Drive slowly in pedestrian heavy areas.
Be Aware of School Zone Speed Limits
School zones have much lower speed limits as a safety measure. If someone is tailgating you, pull over so they can pass. Stop if you observe flashing yellow, red, or both so pedestrians can cross safely.
Pay Close Attention at Bus Stops
Kids are obviously small, but there’s also the issue that bus stops are sometimes dark in the morning, especially in the winter. Do your best to avoid hitting any kids by slowing down, being more observant, and reducing your speed.
Be Mindful of Children on Bicycles
Children can be unpredictable when riding a bicycle. They tend to run in random directions, ignore signs, and tempt fate when they are on bicycles. As a driver, remember that your car weighs several thousand pounds and can easily injure a child.
Follow Rules Pertaining to School Buses and School Crossing Signs
Drivers should know school bus and school zone rules. Don’t assume kids will look both ways when getting off the bus and crossing the street. Once the school bus’ extended stop sign is retracted and it starts moving, you can go on. Remember, the flashing yellow lights indicate the bus is about to stop. An extended stop sign and red flashing lights are a sign that the traffic moving in each direction of an undivided road will have to come to a full stop.
Be Aware of School Drop-off and Pick Up Rules
Before dropping off your child, review these guidelines. Carpool with other trusted parents/children to minimize traffic near schools. If parking, do not double park as this limits visibility. Watch out for school crossing guards and follow their instructions.
How to Safely Share the Road During Back to School
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports the majority of children who die in bus-related accidents are between four and seven years of age. These victims were usually walking when hit. Most are hit by buses or automobiles illegally passing a parked vehicle. Here are school driving safety tips that can help prevent such an accident.
- Never block a crosswalk when waiting to turn or at a red light.
- Do not pass vehicles that have stopped to allow pedestrians to cross.
- If you have the right of way, resist the temptation to step on the gas in an attempt to squeeze between any children or others walking.
- Be patient; school buses travel slowly for a reason and make frequent stops.
- If you see a school bus and are worried about being late, take another route.
- Avoid honking your horn, shouting, or making any gestures toward children or bus drivers.
- Make eye contact with students and pedestrians to ensure you see one another.
- Be especially careful during inclement weather. Rain, snow, and ice make roads perilous. Be sure to account for inclement weather when driving during the morning and afternoon hours.
- Do not swerve around traffic or pedestrians.
No matter where they are, you should always take extra care to avoid hitting students and other pedestrians.
Share These Nashville Back to School Driving Safety Tips
The Nashville personal injury lawyers at Lerner and Rowe hope that the students in your family return to school safely. Please share these Nashville back to school driving safety tips with your family and friends to maximize everyone’s safety. Together, we can reduce the number of back to school accidents.
Going back to school shouldn’t result in accidents. While we don’t want that to happen, if you are hurt in any way and suspect another party is at fault, give Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys a call at 615-333-8888 to schedule an initial consultation. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will answer your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also contact us via our online form or by using our LiveChat feature.