Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010
BSPD offers safety tips for back to school
BSPD Chief Wayne McCoy
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With the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year in Blue Springs, it’s important to remember that not only students and parents make changes to their daily schedules.
Drivers who pass through school zones need to allow extra time and caution and police officers will allocate time on daily patrol to enforce school zones. The first few weeks are most significant – students are adjusting to new times and locations and are excited about seeing their friends and teachers again.
The safety of students, anyone driving to or from schools and the safety of pedestrians in school zones becomes a prime focus of the Blue Springs Police Department. The Traffic Unit will conduct extensive enforcement of school zones throughout the city to reduce speed and increase the safety of persons walking, arriving by school bus, or for vehicles entering school parking lots or dropping off students. In addition, officers throughout the city will be watching for anyone who passes a school bus when the warning lights are flashing.
Blue Springs Police School resource and DARE officers will return to their assignments working in partnership with the district police to ensure the safety of students within school campuses and to help create an environment where learning is not impeded.
During the summer, these officers supplemented regular street patrols to add additional manpower during peak activity months.
The safety of students is everyone’s responsibility. With the cooperation of parents, students and other drivers, we can all work together to make the 2010-11 school year in Blue Springs a safe one.
Remember:
* If your child’s school bus has lap/shoulder seat belts, make sure your child uses it at all times when in the bus. If your child’s school bus does not have lap/shoulder belts, encourage the school to buy or lease buses with lap/shoulder belts.
* Wait for the bus to stop before approaching it from the curb.
* Do not move around on the bus.
* Check to see that no other traffic is coming before crossing.
* Make sure to always remain in clear view of the bus driver.
* Children should always board and exit the bus at locations that provide safe access to the bus or to the school building.
When arriving by car:
* All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
* Your child should ride in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible and then ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. Your child is ready for a booster seat when she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots or her ears have reached the top of the seat.
* All children under 13-years-old should ride in the rear seat of vehicles. If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger’s seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.
* Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You should require seat belt use, limit the number of teen passengers, do not allow eating, drinking, cell phone conversations or texting to prevent driver distraction. Limit nighttime driving and driving in inclement weather. Familiarize yourself with Missouri’s driver license laws and consider the use of a parent-teen driver agreement to facilitate the early driving learning process.
When biking to school:
* Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how short or long the ride.
* Ride on the right, in the same direction as auto traffic.
* Use appropriate hand signals.
* Respect traffic lights and stop signs.
* Wear bright color clothing to increase visibility.
When walking to school:
* Make sure your child’s walk to a school is a safe route, with attention to safety at every intersection.
* Be realistic about your child’s pedestrian skills. Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision.
* If your child is young or is walking to new school, walk with them the first week to make sure they know the route and can do it safely.
* Bright colored clothing will make your child more visible to drivers.
In neighborhoods with higher levels of traffic, consider starting a “walking school bus,” in which an adult accompanies a group of neighborhood children walking to school.
For parents with students of driving age, make sure they have established rules and know the effects violating those rules will have. Take the time to discuss driving situations regularly with your student and ride with them occasionally to ensure that they are appropriately skilled.
For more information or safety tips, call the Blue Springs Police Department at 816-228-0150.
