It’s hard to believe, but summer is drawing to a close, and with it comes the start of a new school year.
Local students are probably both anxious to return to their studies and sad to see their summer vacation come to an end, but either way they’re back at school today, dusting off their learning caps and probably setting their alarm clocks for the first time in months.
One thing all students have in common is the need to get to school (and home) safely. Being a pedestrian always requires care and attention, but even moreso when you’re a student on the way to school, and especially so after summer vacation.
Habits are hard to break, and while they’ve been away from schools and crossing guards, kids may have picked up some bad ones. By the same token, drivers may have been a little more carefree in their driving around school zones while those schools were empty. But now that kids will once again be walking, running and biking to school, the time has come for drivers to give them their full attention.
Everyone can be safer if they pay the utmost attention at all times to what is going on around them. Neither drivers nor students bear the full responsibility for each other’s safety; both must do their part to ensure ‘back to school’ is a safe time for everyone.
Look both ways before crossing the street, make eye contact, point to where you’re going, always cross at an intersection; these are just some of the rules kids should be following. And drivers must slow down and keep an eye out for kids on their travels.
Let’s keep everyone safe this September.
