Vehicle Safety As Kids Return To School

In June, Governor Ralph Northam announced that schools would open as usual for the 2020 to 2021 school year. Now that our kids are finally getting back to school though we have more safety concerns. For months kids were stuck at home and may have forgotten the due diligence required when walking around or playing near a street. What’s worse is as most adults are stuck at home, too many have forgotten casual rules of the road and rules that fluctuate based on the day of the week or certain times, such as school zone speed limits.

Here’s a quick brush up on how to practice vehicle safety as the children of Virginia Beach are returning to school. You might expect to see a lot more kids out and keep in mind that they may be more complacent about traffic safety. Contact our Virginia car accident attorney for more information.

Obey All Posted School Zones

School zone signs can be confusing at the best of times period, but when you add flashing lights and hard to read time frames for when rules change, it gets even worse. What you should do is familiarize yourself with the school signs and the speed limit signs in your area. If you’re just getting back to work or are getting used to dropping kids off at school or near the bus stop again, then it’s likely that you take the same route every day. Take notice of the street signs you see and take special care to anticipate them when traveling.

Posted school zones will often only go into effect when school is in session and when kids are around. Some signs will indicate this with flashing lights. Other times it is up to the driver to be able to read the sign and identify the time and accommodate any changes immediately. If you know, you’re coming up on a school zone, and it’s likely that children are there reduce your speed until you can identify a sign that helps you determine the speed limit for that time frame.

Make sure that you also take the time to acknowledge signs such as student drop off or pick up areas.

Slow Near Charter Schools, Parks, and Other Kid-Friendly Areas

In addition to traditional schools, charter schools have grabbed quite a bit of popularity over the last year. Charter schools will often still have play areas, still have student pickup and drop-off areas, and may also have children that walk to school. However, charter schools often look like standard buildings and may not be marked as a school zone.

Charter schools and homeschool programs may also rely on local parks to get children and the involved parents together. It gives homeschooled children The opportunity to socialize, but it places greater importance on community safety. Park areas are often ignored by drivers, and many don’t reduce their speed at all even when they know that children are present.

Look Below Your Eyeline

Often our eyeline will direct us to look out at the horizon, which is good for drivers because they’re looking further down the road and can anticipate changes in traffic. If you’re driving in an area where you know children could be present, it’s important that you also scan at a 70-degree angle below your line of sight.

Children are often the victims of pedestrian accidents because they are smaller, and drivers simply don’t see them. In most car accidents that involve a child who is walking, the child was obeying the rules of a crosswalk or had the right of ways such as walking on the sidewalk and crossing an inlet into a parking lot.

When in an Accident – Contact an Auto Accident Lawyer of Virginia Beach

A car accident lawyer of Virginia Beach can help you resolve outstanding matters of a car accident. Victims of car accidents often include drivers and passengers of other vehicles, but children are walking as well. Older children entrusted with walking safely near school or park areas often follow all of the rules applicable to pedestrians, and it is typically drivers who fail to stop at crosswalks or travel at or below posted speed limits.

If you, or your children, were the victim of an auto collision, either in a vehicle or when walking, then contact your local Virginia car accident attorney. At Virginia Injury Law of Virginia Beach, we strive to make a difference for the victims of unnecessary injuries, and car accidents are almost always avoidable. We know that you do everything you can to be safe on the road, so hold the negligent and careless drivers responsible for the damages they cause.