With the school year beginning in just a few short days, it is important to review proper pedestrian and bus safety with your child. Children are at high risk for being involved in accidents on their way to and from school, often because they are unaware of how to safely board the school bus and cross the street.
Many children are injured and fatally harmed each year in preventable pedestrian and bicycle accidents. According to a study done by safekids.org, 61 children are hit by vehicles every day in the U.S. The peak times for these accidents are during the hours before and after school, with a majority of the accidents occurring in September. This is why it is crucial for children to be educated on pedestrian and bus safety before they head back to school.
In order to minimize and prevent these fatalities and injuries, North Carolina has implemented a law that focuses on increasing the safety of school-aged children on their commute to school.
This law requires all public school bus drivers to communicate with children via hand signals to help them safely cross the roads while entering and exiting the bus. This law was implemented January 1, 2016 by the North Carolina State Board of Education.
To read more about this law, click here.
Safe Kids recommends these following tips to ensure safety for your child when traveling to and from school:
- Teach children to look left, right and left again before crossing the street.
- Children should wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before entering and exiting the bus.
- Children should use the handrail when walking on the bus
- Always board one at a time
- Walk younger children to the bus stop and wait with them until the bus arrives
- Make sure your child stands three big steps away from the curb
- Never walk in front of or behind the bus
- Driving students should always pay attention to the road, keep both hands on the wheel at all times and keep mobile devices, headphones and any other distractions tucked away in their backpack.
Teaching your children these simple tips will help keep them safer. Let’s all do our part to help prevent children from being the victims of pedestrian injuries and fatalities this upcoming school year.
At Henson Fuerst, North Carolina Personal Injury lawyers, we deeply care about the safety of our children. When driving your vehicle during pre-school and post-school hours, please be aware of children walking and riding their bikes to school.
If you or a loved one suffers serious injury in a Pedestrian or Bicycle Accident that was not your fault, call Henson Fuerst at 919-781-1107. When you call, you will receive a FREE, confidential consultation with one of our experienced North Carolina Personal Injury attorneys.
At Henson Fuerst, we will investigate every detail of your situation at no cost to you and fight hard to protect your rights. You can trust Henson Fuerst to handle every detail of your case so you can focus on your recovery. You will never pay an attorney’s fee up front, and you owe us nothing unless we recover for you.
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