With the beginning of school, Tennessee residents are getting a reminder from their highway patrolmen to drive safely and defensively in school zones. Patrol colonel Tracy Trott is working toward educating drivers on best practices in and around school zones and school buses so that no one is injured due to distracted driving, speeding, or ignoring school bus signs and signals. Trott also commented on the importance of proper seat belts and car seats when children are passengers on their way to or from school.
Because 600,000 children in Tennessee ride the bus to school, per an estimate by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the enforcement of safe driving practices stands to protect a lot of people. Here are some safety tips for driving more safely in a school zone, near a school bus, or around children walking to school.
- Don’t double park or block a crosswalk.
- Don’t pass a school bus that has stopped to let children get on or off.
- Don’t pass another car if it has stopped so that a pedestrian can cross the street.
- Make sure to stop for crossing guards whenever they indicate that you should.
- Pay special attention to the crosswalks, streets, and sidewalks near schools, playgrounds, parks, and in neighborhoods so that you notice if a child runs into the path of your vehicle.
- Remember that you need to allow more space when following a bus than a car so that you have time to stop safely when the bus stops to let children get on or off.
- Remember that is it illegal to pass a stopped school bus with its lights flashing. If you fail to follow the laws about proper driving around buses, you may be subject to fines that can reach up to $1,000.
- Watch for bicyclists, too, as some children commute to school by bike. Pay attention to any signals that they give about turning, but also bear in mind that children may forget to signal accurately if they are young and haven’t been biking long.
Some of these tips may seem like common sense, but it is important to always remind yourself of them. Even very experienced drivers must always exercise caution on the road to avoid accidents. However, if you or a loved on has been injured in a school zone at the fault of another driver, consult a car accident attorney today.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
