5 Safety Tips for Back to School Driving
If you’re a parent, you’ll know school is back in session. This means you’ll need to be taking a little extra caution during your morning commute and around school zones. To help keep everyone safe, we’re here to present our 5 safety tips for back to school driving.
To start with, it’s a good idea to look up your usual daily commute route online to see if there are any schools nearby the areas you’re driving in. That way, you can be well-prepared and know when to keep an extra eye out.
[Read more: Tips for road-tripping with the kids]
Driving Tips for Going Back to School
Slow down: This one seems obvious, but how many really do it? In addition to watching out for marked school zones that you’re required to slow down in by law, if you’re anywhere nearby a school, it’s a good idea to slow down anyway.
- Learn the school bus stops: There’s a good chance you have school bus pickup/dropoff spots in your neighborhood or nearby. Watch out for these and learn their locations, as students will gather here and present an additional safety concern in places you might not expect.
- Watch out for bikes: Don’t forget that students may be riding their bike to school as well. Anywhere there is a bike lane, be extra cautious when turning into it.
- Yield to the school bus: If you didn’t know, you are required to stop for school buses that are stopping to dropoff or pickup children. You should know when this is happening based on their flashing lights and extendable stop sign, so if you are driving anywhere near a school bus, watch out for this to happen.
- No rolling stops: It’s understandable if you’re in a hurry to get to work in the morning, but don’t sacrifice safety at intersections. When approaching a stop sign, come to a complete stop and scan the area for anyone who might be trying to cross the street. When you perform a rolling stop instead, it’s far easier to miss a child preparing to dart across the intersection.
[Read more: Don’t let early morning tiredness distract you on the road]
If you have any additions to make to our top 5 safety tips for back to school driving, share them with others in the comments section below. You’ll find more automotive tips right here on the Mazda of Lodi blog.