It’s that time of year — Kansas City students are back at school and in a full academic swing! School buses have taken up the roads in the mornings and afternoons, and parents are taking their children to and from school as well as the wide array of activities and sports matches. With so much traffic and events, it’s a good idea to take advantage of ‘Back to School’ safety tips for Kansas City students, parents, and drivers.
At Popham Law, some of our attorneys are also the parents of school-aged children. Combined with our personal injury law firm’s central role in the Kansas City community, increased safety is fundamental. Below, you can find a handful of essential tips and safe-driving practices, and if an accident does occur, you can always rely on the Kansas City personal injury attorneys at Popham Law to have your back.For a free consultation, you can contact our law firm at (816) 221-2288.
General Driving Tips for ‘Back to School’ Safety
Maintaining a safe environment for Kansas City students is a goal that everyone can get behind. And in order to minimize car accidents and other accidents as much as possible, it’s essential to work together. In other words, when you’re driving your child(ren) to school, it is your job to drive properly for you and your child’s safety as well as the safety of other children. This is especially true in school zones. As such, here are a few driving tips when going to and from your child’s school:
- Always wear a seat belt, and children 13 and younger should ride in the back seat.
- A younger child should ride in a car safety seat for as long as possible. Afterward, he or she should have a belt-positioning booster seat.
- Many car crashes occur due to inexperienced teen drivers. If your teen has just begun driving, enforce rules such as seat belts, passenger limits, and restrictions on eating, drinking, texting, or using a cell phone while driving.
In addition to these tips, it’s important to remember the rules in school zones. For instance:
- Obey all traffic laws and speed limits, and always proceed with caution around a school bus.
- Always stop for a school bus, whether it is unloading or picking up passengers. If you are on a two-way roadway, then you must stop (this applies to outside of school zones).
- Be alert and ready to stop in school zones, especially in areas where there are no sidewalks. Remember, some students may be in a hurry or distracted, and, as a result, they might not be as cautious crossing the road.
Traveling To and From School
In addition to safe driving, there are other ways to stay safe whether your children are riding the bus, walking, or riding a bicycle. For instance, some tips for riding the school bus include:
- Stay at least five large steps from the curb until the bus has completely stopped.
- Check for traffic when crossing the street, even if the bus has the “Stop” sign on.
- Walk where you can see the bus driver (and where the bus driver can see you).
- Never put your head, arms, or hands outside of the bus window when riding.
Some tips when walking to school include:
- Use crosswalks and looking to the left, to the right, and then to the left again before crossing.
- Children under 10 should cross with a grown-up.
- Make sure your child’s walk to school is safe (and that there are crossing guards).
- Walk with children to a new school for the first week, or until you are sure they know the route and can make it safely.
Some tips when biking to school include:
- Always wear a helmet when biking and make sure the helmet fits correctly.
- Ride a bicycle on the right side of the road, in the same direction as traffic.
- Learn and use hand signals.
- Know the rules of the road.
Contact Popham Law for Kansas City’s Leading Attorneys
‘Back to School’ is a wonderful time of year, and with the right precautions, you can also make this time of year much safer for both you as well as your local community. In the terrible event that an accident does occur and there is an injury, we at the Popham Law firm will be there to help you through the difficult time and ensure justice. Remember, pursuing a negligent individual who caused injury only serves to make the community even safer.For a free consultation with our attorneys, call Popham Law in Kansas City today at (816) 221-2288 or (800) 578-2288 (toll free).
