SANTA MONICA—The City of Santa Monica is preparing their drivers for the back-to-school season with a newsletter with helpful tips for dealing with children pedestrians, child bicyclists, and school buses.
The newsletter indicated that when dealing with school buses, it is illegal to pass a school bus that has stopped to load and/or unload children. A bus that has yellow flashing lights is a warning to motorists that they will be making a stop soon; when the bus has red flashing lights, it means that the bus has stopped to pick up or unload children.
When a bus has stopped to pick up or release children, traffic in both directions must stop on undivided roadways to allow students to leave and enter the bus to reach their destination. The newsletter stressed that vehicles should “never pass a school bus on the right. It is illegal and could have tragic consequences.”
Children who lose their lives in bus-related crashes are pedestrians, four to seven years old, and are struck by the bus or motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus. The newsletter reminded motorists that “children are unpredictable. Children walking to or from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings. This makes them more likely to take risks, ignore hazards or fail to look both ways when crossing the street.â€
Motorists should be aware that pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections. “Avoid blocking the walkway portion of the street; it puts pedestrians at a greater risk of being in a potentially dangerous situation. Children are the least predictable pedestrians and the most difficult to see. Take extra care to look out for children not only in school zones, but also in residential areas, playgrounds and parks. Don’t honk your horn, rev your engine or do anything to rush or scare a pedestrian in front of your car, even if you have the legal right-of-way.â€
The newsletter advised drivers sharing the road with child bicyclists to keep in mind that “bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other roadway users, and often share the same lane, but bicyclists can be hard to see.†At least 3 feet of space should be left between a motorist and a bicyclist.
“The most common causes of collisions are drivers turning left in front of an oncoming bicycle or turning right, across the path of the bicycle. When your vehicle is turning left and there is a bicyclist entering the intersection from the opposite direction, you should wait for the bicyclist to pass before making the turn. If your vehicle is turning right and a bicyclist is approaching on the right, let the bicyclist go through the intersection first before making a right turn. Remember to always use your turn signals. Watch out for bikes coming out of driveways or from behind parked cars or other obstructions,” the newsletter informed.
To view the complete list of road rules for dealing with commuting for back-to-school children, visit: http://www.asirt.org/Portals/0/ENewsletters2012/10_12_October2012/Back_to_School_Safety_Tips_for_Motorists.pdf.