Chief's Corner: Bradenton Fire Department

As students prepare to return to school this year, it is important to discuss safety issues with your student before heading out. NHTSA shared the following tips to help prevent school transportation-related crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Bicycle Safety

Drivers must give bicyclists enough room on the road to travel safely. This means not following cyclists too closely and taking extra care to look for bikes approaching when turning right on a red light. They should also yield to bicyclists in the same way they would to other motorists. For those whose children ride their bikes to school, parents should teach them to:

• Always wear a properly fitting helmet with the chinstrap fastened.
• Use bike lanes when they’re available.
• Ride in the same direction as traffic and follow all traffic signs and signals.
• Never use electronics while riding their bicycle.

Pedestrian Safety

While drivers should always be on the lookout for pedestrians, it is important to use extra caution in school zones and neighborhoods. Parents whose children walk to school should teach them to:

• Use sidewalks or walk on the edge of the street facing traffic if there is no sidewalk.
• Use marked crosswalks and look in both directions before crossing the road.
• Never push, play, or shove others around traffic.
• Put their phones away while walking so they can pay attention to their surroundings.

Teen Driver Safety

Some parents have reached the age where their children are able to drive themselves to school, and it’s important to emphasize these safety tips for their teen drivers:

• Put their phones away and do not use them while driving.
• Limit the number of passengers in their car to decrease distractions.
• Make sure all occupants in their car decrease distractions.
• Follow all posted speed limits.