ABILENE, Texas — The first day of school is quickly approaching and it’s important to be safe if you’re on the roads or walking.
KTXS spoke with the Abilene Police Department who gave us some safety tips for parents and students to know before going back to school.
“A lot of people function off of a routine,” Abilene Police Department’s Traffic Division Sergeant, Andrew Mason, said. “And so the last two months they’ve been in the summertime and they’ve been in the routine of not having to drive through school zones and worry about school busses.”
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The first day of school is quickly approaching and it’s important to be safe if you’re on the roads or walking. (KTXS/Scott Martin)
But with students heading back to class, Sgt. Mason told us drivers need to get back into the habit of watching for kids and school buses.
“The law requires that if you are on the roadway, and that school bus is on, and they stop on whichever side of the road,” Sgt. Mason said. “If those flashing lights come on and that stop sign comes out next to the driver’s side of the school bus, you are required to stop and treat it like a stop sign.”
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KTXS spoke with the Abilene Police Department who gave us some safety tips for parents and students to know before going back to school. (KTXS/Scott Martin)
Now, when you approach a crosswalk, whether you’re driving or walking, it’s important you stop and look both ways before continuing across it.
“A lot of people think that just because you’re a pedestrian, you automatically have the right of way,” Sgt. Mason said. “And I think in a lot of ways that’s true. When you’re in a crosswalk, however, there are limitations to you as a pedestrian. When you’re in a crosswalk, you can’t just go running out in front of a vehicle and expect them to stop when they don’t have enough time and distance to do so.”
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But with students heading back to class, Sgt. Mason told us drivers need to get back into the habit of watching for kids and school buses. (KTXS/Scott Martin)
For drivers, Sgt. Mason said one of the simplest ways to avoid a crash is to give yourself more time to react.
“They just need to slow down,” he said. “By slowing down, it increases their ability and increases the time that they’re able to perceive potential hazards on the roadway, and it increases the time that other people are able to perceive them as well.”
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For drivers, Sgt. Mason said one of the simplest ways to avoid a crash is to give yourself more time to react. (KTXS/Scott Martin)
And that extra reaction time can be especially important during pickup and drop-off, when cars and kids can quickly crowd the streets around a school.
“Parents are lined along the side of the road to pick up kids, and it’s very easy for a child to run out between two vehicles,” Sgt. Mason said. “And because those vehicles are parked on the side of the road, it’s hard for the traffic using that road to see the hazards of children that could be running out in front of them. And so obviously paying attention to the school zones. And that’s why the speeds are lower, to accommodate things like that.”
So as kids are getting ready to go back to school, make sure you’re paying a little extra attention, especially when driving near school zones.
