It's that time of year again when our mailboxes are brimming with flyers for back to school specials. Pens for a dime? Notebooks for a quarter? Back to school outfits for a twoonie? Sounds good! We'll take a dozen of each!
But "back to school" means something else entirely for drivers. "Back to school" should be synonymous with "SLOW DOWN".
In the summer drivers tend to relax a little because (compared to winter driving) the roads are nice and dry and we can see far ahead and the sun is out for much longer and people take vacation so there are fewer people on the roads. In other words, it's much easier to drive safely in the summer and so (if we were to be honest with ourselves) we maybe slack a little in our driving diligence. Oh, and in addition to that, we probably are also thinking about sitting on the beach or doing some much-needed yard work in the beautiful sunshine!
But now we're nearing September and school is starting up again. Children will be going to and from school and additional environmental distractions (like a later sunrise or an earlier sunset and more traffic) will make it harder to drive.
So what does this mean for drivers?
It's simple: When you're driving, slow down a little and keep an eye out for children. It doesn't matter whether or not you're in a school zone. Remember that kids have to walk from their neighbourhood to get to school so there are going to be children everywhere even if a school isn't a block or two away. School zones are good reminders to slow down but there will be children running around, darting in and out of traffic outside of school zones.
And slowing down doesn't just apply to 8:30 and 3:30 (or whenever school lets out in your area). Children who live near school might go home for lunch. Or, children might be late getting to school or going home early.
Don't forget, it's not just children you have to watch out for. Buses stop to pick up or drop off children and parents might also drive to pick up their kids and can stop suddenly.
Back to school means slowing down for drivers. It helps to improve your ability to react if something changes quickly – like if a child runs out between two parked cars or if a parent stops to pick up their kids.
If you are in a collision, Boyd Autobody can help to repair your car and get you safely and quickly back on the road. But you can avoid a lot of back-to-school collisions by slowing down.
