8 School Crossing Safety Tips for Pedestrians and Drivers
Every school day, thousands of Ohio kids cross busy streets on their way to class—and every year, some of them don’t make it across safely. Keeping school crossings safe takes effort from everyone involved, not just the crossing guard on duty. Here are eight tips that can help pedestrians and drivers alike prevent a tragedy before it happens.
Safety Tips for Pedestrians
- Make eye contact before stepping off the curb. Never assume a driver has seen you just because you can see them. Wait until you’ve made direct eye contact or the vehicle has fully stopped before stepping into the roadway.
- Use marked crosswalks and crossing guards whenever available. It might seem faster to cross mid-block, but marked crossings exist because drivers are trained to watch for pedestrians
- Put phones away while crossing. A few seconds of distraction is all it takes to miss an approaching vehicle. Save the screen time for after you’ve reached the other side.
- Teach kids to look left, right, then left again. This simple habit, repeated consistently, helps children build an instinct for checking traffic from both directions before they ever step off the curb.
Safety Tips for Drivers
- Slow down well before you reach a school zone. Reduced speed limits near schools exist because reaction time matters most exactly where children are most likely to dart into the street.
- Always stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing. Ohio law requires drivers in both directions to stop for a bus with its stop arm extended. Children often cross directly in front of or behind the bus, in the driver’s most limited sightline.
- Never pass a stopped vehicle at a crosswalk. If a car ahead of you has stopped, assume it’s for a pedestrian you can’t yet see. Passing a stopped vehicle near a crossing is one of the most dangerous—and most preventable—mistakes a driver can make.
- Put the phone down before you’re anywhere near a school zone. A quick glance at a text is exactly the kind of distraction that turns a routine drive into a life-altering crash. School zones deserve full attention, every time.
Small Habits, Big Impact
When pedestrians and drivers each do their part, school crossings become far safer for everyone. When they don’t, the consequences can be deadly.
If your child, or someone you love, has been injured near a school crossing because a driver wasn’t paying attention, the Law Offices of Tim Misny is ready to help. When a driver’s negligence endangers a child on their way to school, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (877) 614-9524 so I can evaluate your case right away.
