San Mateo, California – The morning trip to school can change fast. One moment, traffic is moving normally. The next, a child is stepping into a crosswalk, a school bus is flashing red lights, or a line of cars is slowing near a campus entrance.
That is why the San Mateo Police Department is using August’s Back to School Safety Month to remind drivers that the simplest safety move may also be the most important: slow down.
With students returning to classrooms, police are asking motorists to pay closer attention around schools, obey posted speed limits and expect more children walking, biking and getting on and off buses.
Drivers should also follow each school’s procedures for student drop-off and pickup. Those rules are intended to keep traffic moving while reducing conflicts between vehicles and students near busy campus entrances.
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School buses require particular attention. When a bus displays a stop sign and flashes its red lights, drivers behind it must stop and remain stopped while the lights are active so children can safely board or leave the bus.
On a two-lane road without a median or center turn lane, traffic traveling in both directions must stop for the bus. Police also urge drivers to watch closely for children who may suddenly run toward a bus or cross the roadway after getting off.
Pedestrian safety is another major part of the department’s message. Motorists should look for people walking and yield at both marked and unmarked crosswalks.
Parents can help reinforce the same habits before children leave home. The department recommends teaching young pedestrians and bicyclists to look both ways before crossing, use sidewalks when they are available and cross at corners when there is no marked crosswalk.
The return of the school year means streets that may have been quieter during summer can once again fill with buses, bicycles, pedestrians and family vehicles at the same time. A few extra seconds behind the wheel can make a significant difference around a school zone.
More traffic safety information is available through Go Safely California.
