Another summer has come and (nearly) gone. For parents, back to school season is one filled with both immense excitement and relief. But as the warm weather fades into your rearview, it’s imperative that you keep your eyes on the road ahead when dropping off and picking up your children from school. School buses are back on the roads, and children have been known to forget to look both ways before crossing the street. Plus, heavily crowded school drop off and pick up zones are known to be a nightmare for those navigating their way through them.

To avoid accident or injury, be sure to educate yourself with these useful “back to school” driving pointers:

Sharing the Road with School Busses

 They’re large, they’re yellow, and you can’t miss them. However, many drivers are unaware of these common safety precautions they should be taking when sharing the road with school busses:

• Increase the following distance between your vehicle and the bus, so that you have more time to stop if necessary.
• If passing a bus, do so with immense caution and keep and eye out for children who may walk into traffic without realizing the risks associated with their actions.

Drop off Zone Safety

 In the hours before and after school, rushed parents are often doing their best to navigate their way through densely congested pick up and drop off zones. Here are some of the best rules you should be following in order to safely move through a school’s drop off zone:

• Do not double-park.
• Opt to carpool if it’s a possibility, as it cuts down on traffic at the school.
• Do not pick up or drop off your children anywhere but the designated area.

A Word on Speeding

While speeding is frowned upon at all times, speeding within a school zone is especially reckless. As a parent, you are aware that children behave impulsively. Therefore, it isn’t difficult to imagine a scenario where a child crouching behind a parked vehicle on the road during a harmless game of hide and seek jumps out onto the road. You can never predict how children are going to behave, and this is why school zone regulations must be followed.

While the summer months may have been a well-deserved break from homework help, PTA meetings, and driving through the dreaded drop off zones – classes have commenced. As a driver, it is vital that you stay focused on the road and drive cautiously through student-populated areas. Unfortunately, not all drivers take the caution necessary to keep roads safe.

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