With July winding down, the school bells will be ringing before we know it. Now is the perfect time to start planning for back to school season. We’ll be sharing safety and community-building tips over the next few weeks that you can easily rep
With July winding down, the school bells will be ringing before we know it. Now is the perfect time to start planning for back to school season. We’ll be sharing safety and community-building tips over the next few weeks that you can easily repurpose in your newsletter or digital bulletin.
We’re kicking this series off with one of the most important topics: road safety while school is in session. While you can’t walk every single student to school, you can share tips with members of your community to help them become aware of potential hazards and to keep an eye out for students.
Pedestrians are the largest proportion of recorded traffic fatalities over the past 25 years according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The best way to reduce pedestrian fatalities is by reducing speed. A pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling 20 mph has a 5% chance of fatality, but this increases to 45% at 30 mph, and 85% at 40 mph. That’s why the speed limit in school zones is around 15-25 mph depending on the state. Yes, it’s slow, but it’s in place to save lives.
Share School Hours
It’s a good idea to share the hours of local elementary, middle, and high schools with your residents at the start of school season. The morning rush and afternoon pickup times can be crazy, but they’re typically short lived. Instead of speeding through a school zone or the neighborhood, remind residents to leave for work or errands a couple minutes earlier when school is in session.
Share Bus Stop Safety Tips
According to the National Safety Council, the majority of children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are under seven years old and are hit either by the bus or a motorist passing a stopped bus. These deaths are tot