As the new school year beings across Fulton, Cherokee, and Cobb Counties, we feel that it’s important to remind parents and young students about school parking lot safety tips. Especially at arrival and dismissal times, school parking lots are often very busy with students walking to and from vehicles. Not only should we, as parents, exercise extreme caution when driving in school parking lots, but it is also our responsibility to educate kids about safety procedures for parking lots.
Most schools have a system in place to ensure the safety of students in parking lots. For instance, most school systems implement car lines, which are labeled areas for parents to drop off and pick up their children. If you plan to walk your child into the school, it is important to find an appropriate parking space for your vehicle instead of parking it in drop off lines or in undesignated areas.
In addition to car drop off and pick up designated lines, most schools will have areas for buses to pick up and drop off students. This area is usually separated from lines for parents to drop off and pick up students so that the crowds going to and from buses are not caught in the car lines’ traffic.
Regardless of where you are in a school parking lot, you should always abide by traffic signals and signs. It is also important to maintain a very low rate of speed in case a child runs in front of your vehicle. Children are often using crosswalks outside of schools, so drivers should be very aware of these areas. Also, while students wait for buses or parents to pick them up, they often stand on the sides of the road. Be aware of these kids, as sudden movements on their parts can lead to disastrous occurrences.
In addition to practicing safe driving in school parking lots, parents and guardians should educate their children on parking lot safety. Whether your child is in elementary school or high school, be sure that they understand the importance of following safety procedures around moving vehicles. First, students should always check both ways prior to crossing any lane of traffic, whether they’re in a crosswalk or not. If you are walking your young child into the school, they should know to stay at your side and hold your hand while in the parking lot. Finally, it is important that all students know that running, playing, or acting out is not acceptable while in any parking lot.
If parents educate their children and maintain safe practices while driving in school parking lots, many pedestrian accidents can be avoided. As metro-Atlanta personal injury attorneys, we see devastating accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians often. Pedestrians almost always experience significant injuries when involved in a collision with a vehicle, no matter what speed the vehicle is traveling. If you or someone you know have questions or have been injured in a Georgia pedestrian accident, contact Jones & Swanson today at www.awjlaw.com. It is our goal to prevent as many injuries as possible, especially to children. In the event that incident cannot be prevented, we are still here to help.
