The school year is in full swing, so it’s a good time to discuss what parents, teachers, and public institutions can do to make school zones safer for students. Kids of all ages, from elementary to high school, have fallen victim to distracted drivers and adult negligence. Teaching children to be careful while walking on campus and in the surrounding areas is critical. However, we cannot underestimate the importance of the environment and its design. Each school zone must meet various criteria to keep children safe.
How to make school zones safer for students? Let’s find out.
Identify High-Risk Areas and Plan Interventions
How to protect kids on the move? This question is critical because traffic accidents are one of the biggest causes of concern when it comes to student safety. Although it’s impossible to control how a driver behaves behind the wheel, it is imperative to ensure that each person driving near a school is aware that there are kids in the area. Kids can be unpredictable, so drivers must exercise extra caution near schools. A great way to make school zones safer is to identify high-risk areas and plan interventions accordingly.
There are many ways to limit the risks of accidents. Setting and enforcing speed limits in school zones has proved effective over the years. Adding more crosswalks and traffic lights can also be helpful.
Schools can implement additional rules and policies to protect their students during drop-offs and pick-ups, and not only. And let’s not forget about the importance of traffic signs. Each school should invest in a school pedestrian crossing sign made of high-quality reflective materials that provide a high level of visibility at every hour of the day.
The Importance of Crossing Guards
School crossing guards can also play a vital role in ensuring road safety around schools. It takes a while for children to learn to understand the flow of traffic, learn the rules of crosswalks, and become able to predict drivers’ behaviors.
So, it’s good for them to have at least some minimal adult supervision until they feel confident on their own. Crossing guards provide this essential assistance.
Some schools hire full-time crossing guards to oversee and control traffic flow around schools. Unfortunately, not every city or municipality can afford to pay a full-time employee for this service. The alternative for concerned parents is to form a volunteer crossing guard group. This idea can be easy to implement, considering that the most dangerous times around school zones are in the morning, at lunchtime, and at the end of the school day. The volunteer would only need to be available during these busy times.
Stationing crossing guards in high-risk areas is a simple but highly effective way to protect children and all other pedestrians from car accidents.
Final Words: Making School Zones Safer for Students
Children are unpredictable because they don’t recognize danger as easily as adults do. And considering how distracted some drivers are, the risk of accidents near schools is concerningly high. From educating students on safe walking to placing more traffic signs, avoiding danger is not impossible.
