Keeping our Kids Safe in and around School Zones

School days mean one thing – congestion. Buses are parked, children on bikes are rushing to school and parents are dropping off their offspring hurriedly so they can get to work on time.

It is so, so important for everyone to pay attention when driving in school zones, especially when dropping off or picking up children.

Some schools have drop-off zones or procedures, this helps, so if your child’s school has them – make sure you know them! If not, follow these simple rules:

-- Never double park. This blocks a driver’s view and a child’s view.

-- Don’t drop off children across the road from the school, unless you are going to walk them over yourself.
-- Try carpooling to reduce the amount of cars at the school.

Did you know that more children are hit by cars in school zones or near schools than any other location? It’s a scary fact and that’s why we need to take precautions to keep our children safe.

-- Never block the zebra crossing when you are stopped at a red light, this could put them in the path of traffic.
-- Always stop and yield in a school zone when children are crossing the road.
-- If there is a crossing guard holding a stop sign – stop!
-- Look out for children in school areas, parks and residential areas.
-- Don’t hoot and rev your car when children are crossing.
-- Never try to take over a car that is stopped at a zebra crossing.

Take care, slow down and use extreme caution when driving in a school zone. It is possible for everyone to share the road safely!

PatrolMan is a neighbourhood watch app that allows users access to a range of features including incident reports, crime stats in the area, hotspot map and a SOS button that can be used in emergency situations.