Driving Safe in School Zones

Children across the UK will be heading back to school next week and so now is a good time to refresh your child’s memory on the importance of road safety and to also think about your own driving habits.

It is common place in households that getting the children ready for school is a real task in itself that often leads to us running around at the last minute and panicking whether we will get to school/work on time. The knock on effect of this is that you could find yourself driving in a mad rush to get to those school gates on time and exceeding the speed limit.

The majority of school zones carry a speed limit of 20mph. This speed limit is imposed for a reason and this is to keep our school children safe.

You can find further information on our website here about the implications of breaking the speed limit.

There are a surprising number of road traffic accidents that involve children. In 2014 there were 53 child deaths as a result of road traffic accidents and 2029 were seriously injured. Although these statistics have decreased in recent years we want this to continue and speed is a causal factor of this.

So, if you find yourself trying to make up time on the road to school think twice about the risks involved.

We have all seen those parents that dump their car up the kerb and make a mad dash into school haven’t we? Well now is the time to think about this as you could face getting a costly parking ticket in the process of trying to save those few extra minutes that it would take to park your car a few metres further away.

You should avoid parking on double yellow lines and on zig zags. Also be wary of parking adjacent to double white lines in the road as this is a criminal offence and could lead to getting 3 points on your licence and a substantial fine.

If you live close to the school it may be quicker and easier to walk your children to school to avoid the hassle of trying to get that dreaded space close to the school.

We recommend that you take a look at Brake’s road safety campaign for further information on how to approach road safety with your children. This document is full of handy tips and tricks to teach your children of all ages from 2-18 years old.

Teaching Road Safety Guide

But for now here are our top tips on road safety for children:

Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain 2014

• Set a good example to your children by finding a safe place to cross by using pedestrian crossings and zebra crossings where possible
• If crossing near a school always make use of the lollypop man/woman
• Before crossing the road explain to your children that they should STOP, LOOK both ways and LISTEN for traffic and they should only cross when the road is entirely clear
• Ensure your children have reflective clothing when going to school on dark winter mornings
• Encourage your child to hold your hand when crossing the road
• Encourage your child to walk across the road and not to run
• As your children get older practice routines with them so that they know the exact routes to and from school or a friend’s house
• Set an example not to use your phone whilst crossing the road or listen to music as this is distraction