The Owners' Manual Newsletter | Issue 22 | Fall 2021

Stay alert and avoid distracted driving. Transportation Safety Walking to School It is a good idea for families to discuss safety rules and practice walking to school with your children. Walking on the sidewalk should be the preference, if one is available. If there is no side walk, then walk facing the traffic. Before crossing the street the walker should look left, right and left again to be sure no cars are coming. Walkers should make eye contact with drivers before crossing and should always cross at a cross walk or intersection. Biking to School Your child should know the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route with an adult. Teaching them to ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in single file will keep them safe. They should come to a complete stop before crossing the street and walk the bike across. Children should understand the importance of staying alert and avoid distracted riding. Driving to School The most important thing you can do while driving your student to school is to stay alert and avoid distracted driving. Set a good example for your teen driver or soon to be teen driver. Be sure to obey school zone speed limits and follow your school’s procedures for dropping off and picking up. Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street and never pass a bus loading or unloading children. Keep in mind that the area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children. Make sure to stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus.

SCHOOL ZONE Safety

Cell Phones: A Costly

Distraction Shocking Statistics It takes 5 seconds to read the average text message. About 36% of drivers use a smartphone app at a red light or stop sign.

Reminder to Slow Down and Share the Road

Texting doubles the odds of being in a car accident.

school. It’s always a good idea for parents to talk bus safety with their children. Your child should arrive at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive, stay 5 steps away from the curb, and always wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before entering or exiting. School buses remain the dominant form of transportation for students. More than 25 million children ride school buses each day in the United states. Students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus than by travelling by car according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

When school begins the roads get busy. The streets are dense with buses, cars, children walking or on bikes and everyone is anxious to get to their destinations before the bell rings or before work starts. It is crucial to stay aware, slow down and pay extra attention when children are present... especially before and after school. Parents or caretakers should know their school’s drop-off and pick-up procedures for the school year, but the following rules apply to all school zones: • Do not double park. This makes it very difficult to see other children and vehicles. • Do not load or unload children across the street from the school. • Carpool, if you can, to reduce the number of vehicles at the

Texting while driving is more dangerous than intoxication. A driver has the same response time as a person who has had four beers in a single hour. Pedestrian injuries among teenagers in the 16-19 year old age group is on the rise due to distracted walking.