With many students going back to school on Monday, Aug. 23, the Lake County Community Traffic Safety Team (CTST) is offering motorists, parents and students a collection of safety tips from the Florida Department of Transportation to help make this school year as safe as possible.
Traffic safety:
· With increased traffic, allow extra time to reach a destination.
· Know and obey the law with regard to stopping for school buses loading and unloading children.
· Be aware of the speed limit and your speed, especially in school zones and around schools.
· Obey all crossing guard directions.
Children in a car:
· All passengers must wear a seat belt or an appropriate car safety seat. Motorists and passengers can and will be ticketed for not wearing a safety belt. Adult drivers are responsible for their passengers under 18 years of age when it comes to proper safety belt and car seat use.
· Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. As a parent: require seat belt use by the driver and all passengers; limit the number of teen passengers; do not allow eating, drinking, cell phone conversations or texting to prevent driver distraction; limit nighttime driving; and limit driving in inclement weather.
Children on a bike:
· Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how short or long the ride. The law requires children under age 16 to wear a helmet.
· Ride on the right; in the same direction as traffic (younger children should use sidewalks).
· Use appropriate hand signals.
· Obey traffic lights and stop signs.
· Wear bright color clothing to increase visibility.
· Know the “rules of the road.”
Children walking to school:
· Make sure a child’s walk to school is a safe route, hopefully with well-trained adult crossing guards at every intersection.
· Be realistic about a child’s pedestrian skills. Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether a child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision.
· If a child is young or is walking to a new school, walk with them the first week to make sure he or she knows the route and can do it safely.
· Teach children to be aware of their surroundings.
· Bright-colored clothing will make a child more visible to drivers.
For more information about the Lake County CTST, call (352) 483-9048 or visit www.lakecountyfl.gov, keyword: CTST.
With the standards we have today, we will always have safe drivers and unsafe drivers, all sharing the same roads. As long as we follow safety tips and traffic rules, we are in a safe zone (though it’s a bi-cycle or heave vehicle). thanks for the stop and indeed nice post.