Ahh. What a joy to hear the sounds of little ones getting up at the crack of dawn as they brush their teeth, take their baths and showers and eat their vitamin fortified breakfasts. It’s school time again. Scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatch.
Okay let’s get real here for a minute. Gone are the days that you slept in a little later because you didn’t have to get up and break up a petty fight between your small children and their siblings because one got more Fruit Loops than the other. Not to mention the fact that you have to get out of your pajamas and put on something decent and take the little rugrats to school. And let’s not even get on the money you fork over for the little one’s lunch, and extracurricular activities. Money for cheerleading, for football, for new band instruments, the latest Chuck Taylors, not to mention your fifteen-year-old daughter wants that new Coach bag that even a summer of part time jobs won’t pay for.
I secretly chuckle at the parents who post their back to school stories. My reply every time: I’ve done my time twice over. Both my children are grown. Gotta love it.
But in all seriousness I wanted to address a serious issue that has become a big problem. With the new school year comes the reactivation of school crossing zones and busing zones.
Last year here in Greensboro, there were one too many accidents where an overzealous driver was in such a hurry that they flew through a bus loading zone ignoring the visibly displayed stop sign on a bus, and the many children who stood by, striking and killing children. In my observation, I have yet to see anyone obey the flashing speed limit signs warning of a nearby school, or even a bus stopped to load or unload children. And as the 2009-2010 school has just gotten underway, I hear on the news, yet another story of a child struck by a driver speeding through said zones.
This could be your child. Pay attention when going through these zones and when you see children and school buses nearby. It is never easy to tell a parent that their child has been hit or even killed because a driver was so much in a hurry that they couldn’t stop and slow down for two minutes to save their child’s life.
Here are some basic rules for these zones that all should follow. And when in doubt, just slow down and watch for children.
- Now that you know that school is in session, school zones will have reduced speeds. Leave Early! So that may have adequate time to slow down.
- Most school zones are 15-25 mph. When in doubt go the slowest.
- Drivers need to pay attention to school buses and school crossing guards as well as children.
- The law requires that all vehicles come to a complete stop when a school bus turns on its red flashing lights and raises the stop sign and not move forward until the sign is lowered and the red lights stop flashing.
- Drivers that approach the bus from the opposite direction are also required to adhere to rule number four, unless the road has four or more lanes.
- Remember pedestrians always have the right away in a crosswalk. A driver must come to and remain at a complete stop until the crosswalk is empty.
These are only a few of the rules, but one should always use common sense. And also remember a moment of hurry can mean a lifetime to a parent who loses a child due to your inability to follow the rules. It could also mean a lifetime in jail for you.
What she said !!!!!