The start of the school year means you’re going to be spending much more time around schools with heavy flows of traffic during several points during the day. Buses, trucks, cars, motorcycles and other vehicles will be entering the area, which may be congested, to care for students and to take care of the premises. As a pedestrian, these high-traffic areas can be dangerous for you. It’s important to know how to keep yourself safe by being aware of your surroundings and what to do if you’re injured in order to obtain compensation for your injuries.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked that parents, students and all other drivers remember to be safe during the school year in a recent announcement. The school bus is often the safest way for children to get to school, while walking, biking and public transportation can also be viable options, though they can be more dangerous.
Data from between 2004 to 2013 shows that 327 school-aged children were killed in school-transportation crashes. Fifty-four of those children were in school-transportation vehicles, 116 were pedestrians, nine were riding bikes and 147 were in other kinds of vehicles.
During the school year, most pedestrians were killed between 7 and 8 a.m. and 3 and 4 p.m., the hours when children are coming to school or being let out of their classes. To stay safe during these times, motorists need to remember to be aware of crossing zones. For drivers, slow down, and be aware of children on or near the roads. Stay alert; make sure your children are buckled into their seats and expect to see both pedestrian and bicyclists during the day.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Back to School Safety Advisory: NHTSA Encourages Everyone to Be Responsible for Getting Children To and From School Safely,” Aug. 25, 2015
