It is back-to-school time and buses are everywhere. Children may not always pay attention to traffic while going to or coming home from school, so drivers must be especially diligent in school zones or following school buses.
If you are in a school zone, make sure you follow these rules:
- Know the speed limit. Look for the posted speed limits and follow them.
- Put down the phone. Driving and mobile phones don’t mix. Not only can talking on the phone or texting in an active school zone earn you a hefty fine in many states — it can be deadly.
- Watch for pedestrians. Crosswalks near school zones are particularly busy before and after school, but not all of them have crossing guards, and not all students will wait to cross at the proper time. In fact, not all students will use crosswalks!
- Go slowly past parked cars. Children can appear seemingly out of nowhere when they run out from between parked cars. Drive slowly and keep your eyes active to scan for movement.
School bus drivers face special challenges on the road. Bus drivers have a large vehicle that has blind spots all around and requires more time to stop. Here are a few important rules to remember:
- Always maintain a safe following distance. Keep as much space as possible between your vehicle and the bus in front of you.
- In traffic, avoid “cutting” in front of a bus. Many bus drivers leave a safe following distance between the bus and the car ahead of them to ensure a safer environment for passengers. Even if your car can fit into the space, drivers should always avoid cutting in front of a bus.
- Watch for buses that are loading or unloading children. Be prepared to stop when the bus stops. The most dangerous area around a school bus is the space 10 feet around the vehicle since this radius falls into the driver’s blind spot. Be sure to stop more than 10 feet behind a school bus to allow passengers a safe space for entering and exiting.
- Never pass a stopped school bus. It’s illegal to pass a school bus in the United States that has stopped to load or unload children. This rule includes passing a bus from either direction.
The name of the game with school zone and bus safety is to go slow and stay alert. Do everything you can to obey school zone speed limits and give school buses the proper distance to keep children safe this school year.