Did you know?
Next week, on Sept. 1, students throughout Fort Frances and the Rainy River District head back to classrooms, playgrounds and school buses. With that return comes heavier traffic and young pedestrians navigating unfamiliar routes, particularly around school zones.
Back-to-school safety tips
As a new school year gets underway, student safety takes center stage. This week’s column offers essential safety tips for parents and guardians, students and drivers to help navigate the months ahead. While these tips offer a starting point, child safety requires continuous attention. Ultimately, keeping children safe relies on the active, ongoing engagement of parents and guardians.
Back-to-school: A shared responsibility
As increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic returns during peak school hours, drivers must exercise heightened caution, particularly in school zones and around stopped school buses. Keeping our community’s children safe is a collective effort that requires total focus from parents/guardians, students, and all motorists alike.
Drive with caution: Children are unpredictable
- Stay alert: Always maintain high awareness for children while driving.
- Scan high-risk zones: Exercise extra vigilance near parks, playgrounds, and schools.
- Watch for blind spots: Anticipate sudden movements, as children can dart into the street instantly, often from between parked vehicles.
Parents/guardians
- Teach designated routes: Instruct children walking to school to use sidewalks and crosswalks whenever available.
- Walk facing traffic: If sidewalks are missing, teach children to walk facing oncoming traffic so they can see approaching vehicles.
- Avoid across-the-street drop-offs: Do not drop children off on the opposite side of the street from their school, preventing dangerous mid-street crossings.
Students
- Review the route: Walk through the commute to school with an adult at home ahead of time.
- Use marked crossings: Always cross the street at a designated, marked crosswalk whenever possible.
- Stop, look, and listen: Teach kids to look both ways and stay alert before stepping into the street.
- Ditch the headphones: Remove earbuds and headphones to stay fully aware of surrounding traffic and noises.
- Put away screens: Keep phones and digital devices stowed away to maintain focus while walking and crossing.
School buses
- Heed the amber lights: When a school bus flashes its overhead AMBER LIGHTS, it is preparing to STOP. Slow down and get ready to STOP, whether you are following the bus or approaching from the opposite direction.
- Stop for red lights and arms: When the bus stops and flashes its RED OVERHEAD LIGHTS or extends its STOP ARM, bring your vehicle to a complete stop and wait until all passengers have safely boarded or exited.
- Watch when moving: Once the bus starts moving again, remain highly alert for children and other pedestrians crossing the road.
School zone safety measures
- Respect lower speed limits: Obey school zone speed limits of 30 km/h or 40 km/h within your community, which are designed to protect children and pedestrians.
- Save lives by slowing down: Many Canadian communities have adopted 30 km/h SCHOOL ZONES because reduced speeds give drivers more time to react and stop, significantly lowering collision risks.
Remember, taking the time to learn and practice injury prevention costs you nothing. Failing to do so could lead to the unthinkable … the loss of your life and the lives of those you hold dear.
Safety—it starts with you.
