Sharing the Road with School Buses

Now that summer is winding up and many children are heading back to school I’ve noticed a lot more buses on the road. In fact, they seem to follow me around, which is no surprise considering over 480,000 busses operate daily nationwide carrying 26 million elementary school and secondary school students.

Since we are now sharing the road with so many of these oversized vehicles, it is important to understand how to drive properly when around them.

When the stop sign extends:

•  On a divided highway with a barrier or unpaved road separating the lanes, you may continue to drive if you are going in the opposite direction.
• On a two-lane road all vehicles are required to stop.
• On a multi-lane road, all vehicles must stop if a paved lane separates the lanes going in different directions.

Bus lights work like traffic lights:

• If the overhead lights flash yellow, be prepared to stop.
• If the overhead lights flash red, stop.
• When the hazard or warning lights are flashing, proceed with caution.

Whether or not you have to stop when the school bus stops, I recommend you always slow down and constantly examine your surroundings. Children can be unpredictable and dart out of nowhere and decreasing your speed is an easy way to increase your reaction time.

Following these extremely simple steps can make a huge difference in the number of children injured yearly. In 2011 there were 22 fatalities, 350-475 broken bones or worse, and 8,500-12,000 minor injuries like scrapes and bruises.

FYI: If potentially saving a child’s life is not enough motivation to stop when a school bus does, you should also know that if caught you can be fined, imprisoned, face a felony charge, and receive five points on your license.

Reducing Your Blind Spot

Some people are graced with height while others, like my mother, are what I like to call “vertically challenged”. At a whopping four feet and ten and a quarter inches (you can’t leave off that quarter inch!) Mommy faces a few daily challenges that don’t always include her inability to reach things on high shelves.

If you wear glasses or contact lenses you may already be aware that the information can be found on your driver’s license. Well my mother’s first license said that she had to sit on a phone book or pillow while driving. Seriously, she could have received an additional fine if she was ever pulled over and not using something to elevate herself!

Okay, okay, I know this post is silly but I have a good point to make, I promise!

I don’t understand the physics behind it but due to her height, or lack thereof, my mother has a larger blind spot when using her side mirrors. To alleviate this issue she has a simple trick, leaning forward.

 

I’m sure everyone has had their fair share of near-misses when trying to change lanes where the honk of a car horn alerts us that there had been a vehicle beside us the whole time. Hey, they don’t call it a blind spot for nothing! Well, once my mother was in the car with me during such an occasion and filled me in on her trick so I gave it a try. Mothers are always right so naturally this time was no different. My visibility increased astronomically as I moved forward slightly and glanced at my side mirror. To this day I do that every time I change lanes and can honestly say those near-misses are nearly gone.

I hope you found this post both educational and entertaining. Stay-tuned for some more personal safety stories! And please feel free to share some of your own tips in the comment section below.

Labor Day Weekend

As mentioned two months ago in my 4th of Julypost, the holidays are some of the deadliest days for traffic-related fatalities. According to the Florida Safety Council rates of DUI-related deaths rise dramatically over Labor Day Weekend which is why authorities will step up their DUI enforcement this weekend. 

This morning I happened to catch a commercial I have seen in the past. It was part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign and I realized that I see this commercial at very specific times during the year. Well now I know why! 43% of Labor Day deaths involve alcohol compared to the 32% during the rest of the year.  Numbers don’t always make the impact they should so click here for some great infographics!

One campaign slogan I am particularly fond of is “the last day of summer shouldn’t mean the end of your life.” Okay, if you’re a child going back to school sometimes it may feel that way but the point is there is no reason to risk your well-being because you are celebrating.

Here are some tips to enjoy a safe Labor Day weekend:

• If you choose to drink, never drive. Stay where you are or have a designated driver. You not only put yourself at risk but you are also endangering everyone on the road around you.
•  Wear your seatbelt. You can’t control what is happening in the vehicles around you but you can make sure you are being cautious in your own.
•  Be aware of drunk drivers. Learn how to spot a drunk driver on the MADD website.

I hope you have a fun holiday weekend!