School Zone Safety: Small Driving Decisions Matter
School arrival and dismissal can turn an ordinary neighborhood street into one of the busiest places in the community.
Cars are entering and leaving parking lots. Buses are loading students. Children are walking through crosswalks. Parents are stopping along curbs. School staff and law enforcement may be directing traffic while drivers are trying to get somewhere on time.
In that environment, a few seconds of patience can matter.
School zone safety is not complicated. It starts with slowing down, paying attention, and remembering that children do not always behave predictably around traffic.
Slow Down Before You Reach the School
Drivers should not wait until they are directly in front of a school to begin paying attention.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges motorists to slow down in school zones and neighborhoods where children are present and to be prepared for children walking, bicycling, or gathering near bus stops.
Lower speeds give drivers more time to recognize what is happening around them and react when a child unexpectedly enters the roadway.
Posted school zone speed limits should always be followed, along with any additional state or local requirements in effect during arrival and dismissal.
Crosswalks Require Extra Attention
A marked crosswalk does not mean a driver can simply continue through because no one appears to be directly in front of the vehicle.
NHTSA advises drivers to slow down when approaching crosswalks, yield to pedestrians, and stop far enough back that other motorists can also see the people crossing. Drivers should never pass a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk because a pedestrian may be hidden from view.
Parents can reinforce the same habits with children.
Children should use designated crossings when available, look left, right, and left again before entering the roadway, and continue watching for vehicles while crossing.
Follow the Direction of Crossing Guards and Officers
During busy arrival and dismissal periods, crossing guards, school employees, or law enforcement officers may be managing traffic.
Their directions are there to create an orderly flow and protect pedestrians.
Drivers should remain patient and follow their instructions even when doing so adds a few minutes to the trip.
NHTSA's Safe Routes to School guidance specifically emphasizes teaching families and motorists to follow crossing guard directions and obey traffic laws in and around school zones.
Avoid waving a child across the street yourself when another driver, officer, crossing guard, or traffic signal controls the intersection. What looks safe from one vehicle may not be safe from another lane.
Put the Phone Away
School zones demand a driver's full attention.
A message, notification, navigation change, or quick glance at a phone can take attention away from children, bicycles, crossing guards, stopped buses, and changing traffic.
NHTSA's back to school guidance repeatedly reminds drivers and pedestrians to remain alert and avoid electronic distractions while traveling around schools.
If something on the phone needs attention, pull over somewhere safe after leaving the active school zone.
Do Not Create a New Hazard During Drop Off
Families are often in a hurry during morning drop off, but convenience should not override safety.
Follow the school's designated traffic pattern and use approved loading and unloading areas whenever possible.
Avoid:
Double parking
Stopping in active travel lanes
Blocking crosswalks
Making unexpected U turns
Allowing children to exit into moving traffic
Parking where your vehicle blocks another driver's view of pedestrians
Children should exit on the safest available side of the vehicle and follow the school's established arrival procedures.
A few extra moments spent reaching the proper drop off area are preferable to creating an unpredictable traffic situation.
Give School Buses Plenty of Space
School buses deserve particular attention because children may be entering or leaving the roadway around them.
NHTSA explains that yellow flashing lights indicate that a school bus is preparing to stop. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop.
Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate children are boarding or exiting. Drivers must stop as required by applicable state law and remain stopped until it is lawful and safe to proceed.
Even when a bus does not have its lights activated, drivers should remain alert for children near bus stops and during typical school arrival and dismissal times.
Remember That Children Judge Traffic Differently Than Adults
Adults who drive every day become accustomed to estimating distance and vehicle speed.
Children may not have that same ability.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has cautioned that children may have difficulty estimating how quickly a vehicle is approaching and deciding when it is safe to cross.
That is another reason drivers should not assume a child sees them or understands what the vehicle is about to do.
Slow down and be prepared to stop.
Talk About the Parking Lot Too
Not every school traffic risk occurs on the roadway.
Parking lots and pickup lines can contain moving vehicles, reversing vehicles, pedestrians, buses, and distracted adults all sharing a relatively small area.
Remind children not to run between parked vehicles and to stay with an adult when appropriate.
Drivers should check mirrors carefully, look around the vehicle before backing, and expect children to be present even when they are difficult to see.
NHTSA specifically recommends extra caution when backing because pedestrians can be hidden in blind spots.
Patience Is Part of School Zone Safety
School traffic can be frustrating.
A pickup line may move slowly. A bus may stop several times. An officer may hold traffic longer than expected. Another parent may take more time than you would like.
None of those inconveniences is more important than getting children to and from school safely.
Leaving a few minutes earlier, putting the phone away, following the established traffic pattern, and giving pedestrians the right of way are small choices.
When hundreds of drivers make those same choices each day, they can make the entire school environment safer.
Sources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Back to School: Keeping Children Safe
https://www.nhtsa.gov/school-bus-safety/keeping-children-safe
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Pedestrian Safety
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/pedestrian-safety
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Stay Vigilant for Pedestrians and Children
https://www.nhtsa.gov/stay-vigilant-pedestrians-and-children
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Safe Routes to School
https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/pedestrian-safety/countermeasures/other-strategies-behavior-change-2
General Information Disclaimer
This article provides general educational information. Traffic laws, school procedures, and school zone requirements vary by jurisdiction. Drivers and families should follow applicable state and local laws, posted traffic controls, and instructions from school officials, crossing guards, and law enforcement.