Suncoast Safety Tips: Back to School

With summer coming to an end and the start of the school year just around the corner, Suncoast Safety Council encourages everyone to do their part to keep kids safe as they head back to school.

These tips will explain how motorists can safely share the road.

Sharing the road with school buses:

• It is illegal in ALL 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load/unload children.
  
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Stop your vehicle far enough away from the bus to allow children the necessary space to safely enter/exit the bus.
• Never pass a school bus on the right. It is illegal and could have tragic consequences.
• Stay alert! Children are unpredictable. Children walking to/from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings. This makes them more likely to take risks.

Sharing the road with child pedestrians:

• Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign, officer or designated crossing guard.
• Drivers shouldn't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn. Blocking the crosswalk forces pedestrians to go around your vehicle and puts them in a dangerous situation.
• When a warning flasher is blinking in a school zone you MUST stop to yield to the right-of-way of a pedestrian crossing in the roadway.

Sharing the road with child bicyclists:

• When passing a bicyclist proceeding in the same direction, do so slowly and leave a distance of at least 3 feet between you and the bicycle.
• When your vehicle is turning left and there is a bicyclist entering the intersection from the opposite direction, you should wait for the bicyclist to pass before making the turn
• Watch for bicycle riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling, especially if the rider is a child.
• Check side mirrors for bicyclists before opening the door. Some communities may fine drivers for collisions caused by opening a vehicle door in the path of a bicyclist.
  

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Just For Kids - Safety Fun

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