Staying Safe!

Safe Routes

One eventual outcome of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program will be maps of "safer routes to school," meaning that students and parents will know the safest way to get to and from school. This is a very complex process that requires walking and bicycling to field check a route from every residential location to the school. It will take quite some time, and additional funding, to accomplish. In the meanwhile, students and their families can stay safe by following these "best practices" in walking, bicycling, skateboarding, scootering and driving.

Practice

Parents should always go with their children to and from school at least once, and probably several times, to make sure that the children are aware of hazards and are responding to them correctly, and that they know the safest way to and from school. Do it again at the beginning of every school year, the first time it snows, the first time the ground is icy, and if there are any significant changes or construction along the route. When you are going with your children, make sure that they are knowledgeable of and following all laws and safety guidelines. Talk about these, and ask "what if" questions. If you don't know the laws and best practices, then learn them, and practice them with your children. Though your children will be getting some pedestrian and bicycle safety education and training in school, it is important to reinforce this with your own consistent communication. Don't do something unsafe with your children that they will later imitate when they are by themselves.

Walking School Bus / Bicycle Train

One SRTS practice that increases safety for children is the creation of walking school buses, where a parent volunteer who is fingerprinted and background checked, or volunteer school staff, will walk along a route to school, picking children up as they go, and then reversing the process in the afternoon. Bicycle trains are the same idea, but with bicycles. Again, it will take some time to set these programs up, require strong involvement from the Parent Teacher Organization at each school, and need additional funding. In the meanwhile, you may want to set up your own informal walking school bus or bicycle train on your street. Watch to see which other children are going the same way as your child, then meet those parents and discuss how you can increase safety by working together. More...

Age Appropriate Modes of Transportation

Though we recognize that some children will walk to school in Kindergarten and first grade, and most of the people working to support the Safe Routes to School Program did so when they were kids, we recommend to families that they carefully consider when their children are ready for various modes of transportation. It is in second grade that most children develop the awareness and self-responsibility necessary to independently walk to school, and in third grade that most children develop the physical skill, increased awareness, and increased self-responsibility necessary to independently bicycle to school. If you and your children want the benefits to health, safety, environment and independence that come with getting to and from school in a human-powered way, but they aren't yet ready to go on their own, then consider what it will take for you to continue to go with them, until they are ready. Check the walking school bus and bicycle train information above. Please don't drive them to and from school just to avoid this issue, because then they will never develop the knowledge, skills and self-responsibility.

Crosswalks

use crosswalks staffed with professional crossing guards whenever they are available; Carson City is fortunate in having a staff of trained professional school crossing guards, which many school districts do not, so take advantage!
use painted crosswalks wherever they are available, rather than implied crosswalks at intersections, and work with the city to increase crosswalk painting and re-painting
use implied crosswalks at the safest intersections, but recognize that many drivers are not aware that there is an implied crosswalk at every intersection
use pedestrian crossing signals wherever they are available; if the signal does not seem to be working, report it to the Sheriff's Office immediately
DON'T ASSUME that crosswalks and signals make you safe; you should always look both ways and listen, and cross only when vehicles have stopped
be particularly aware of the danger of a vehicle stopping for you in one lane, but vehicles in other lanes not stopping
never cross mid-block; if it is too far to the nearest crosswalk, complain to the city and keep walking to the crosswalk until the city fixes the problem

Pedestrian Routes

use routes with sidewalks whenever possible, and work with the city to increase sidewalk installation
select routes which avoid unsafe areas including missing sidewalks, incorrectly parked vehicles, trash cans on the sidewalk, speeding traffic, unleashed dogs, and unfriendly or dangerous people
if snowplows are throwing snow onto what would otherwise be your safe route, complain to the city and the state; if people are not shoveling the sidewalks in front of the their property, have your parents either talk to them, or complain to the city
skateboarders and scooter riders are considered pedestrians, and should follow the same laws and safety guidelines that pedestrians follow, including walking across rather than riding across streets
skateboards and scooters should yield to walkers on sidewalks

Bicycle Routes

the three most important aspects of bicycle safety are: 1) wear your helmet and make sure it is properly fitted and adjusted, 2) wear your helmet and make sure it is properly fitted and adjusted, and 3) wear your helmet and make sure it is properly fitted and adjusted -- really!
avoid riding on sidewalks whenever possible, because this decreases the safety of pedestrians
if you do ride on sidewalks, yield to other users
use painted and signed bicycle lanes whenever available, and work with the city to increase the number of bicycle lanes
when bicycle lanes are not available, use wide streets with low speed traffic
always to alert for cars backing into the street and pulling out from the curb without looking
at busy intersections, dismount your bike and use crosswalks, including pedestrian crossing signals if available; though you may eventually develop the skills to act fully like a vehicle at intersections, many people do not reach this point until they are adults, if even then - don't rush it, use the crosswalks!
by law, bicycles have the same rights and RESPONSIBILITIES as motor vehicles; don't endanger yourself and other bicyclists by violating traffic laws -- it's easy and it's fast, but it's wrong; younger students will see you violate laws and think it's OK, and may die or be injured as a result
many drivers are not aware that bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities, and you may need to give up your right in order to stay safe and alive; if a driver has taken away your right, file a complaint with the Sheriff's Office or Nevada Highway Patrol - they need to know that there are drivers on the road who are endangering your life

Low Light

Most pedestrian and bicycle accidents and deaths occur during low light conditions. During the shortest days of the winter months, if your child needs to go to school early or stay late in order to participate in special programs, you may want to walk or bicycle with them, or indeed, drive them.

School Bus Safety

School bus transportation is eight times safer than personal vehicle transportation. If you think that you child is safer because you are driving them, think again. If you live within the area where school bus transportation is provided, use it. Of course there may be times when you'll need to drive if your child becomes sick or has an appointment, but these should be the rare exceptions. School buses are becoming even safer over time: New Rules for School Buses (2008-10-15).

If You Drive

If you do decide to drive your child to or from school, please consider the following:

Drop-off and Pick-up

always drop off and pick up children in designated areas, if they are available
carefully follow pavement markings, signs and procedures that have been established by the school and city to improve the safety of drop-off and pick-up
always drop off and pick up children on the school side of a street; do not drop off or pick up on the opposite side where they will then have to cross the street; if you have business that requires you to park and go into the school, then DO use the opposite side so that you are not blocking drop-off and pick-up areas on the school side
never pass other cars that are dropping off or picking up students in a drop-off/pick-up lane - wait your turn; pull as far forward as possible before dropping off and picking up, and be patient with the cars in front of you
never do U-turns or double park in a school zone
stay out of areas where school buses and daycare vans are unloading and loading students; these are often signed to tell you at what times to stay out, but if not, then just stay out all the time, 24x7
don't idle your vehicle while you are waiting to pick your child up; idling vehicles significantly decrease the air quality around schools, affecting the health of all the students
once you have dropped your child off, continue to follow on-campus speed limits and posted school zones - there are other children walking, bicycling, skateboarding and scootering, and each of them deserves the same safety as your child
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Curb Colors

red curbs legally mean "no stopping, standing or parking", with emergency vehicles and school buses being the only exceptions
at some schools, it will take a while before all the curbs are painted correctly, so pay attention as curb colors, signs, and procedures are changed; if you aren't sure, ask the school office rather than doing what you did before or following what other drivers are doing
when uncertain, follow this guideline: RED means stay away, YELLOW means stop just long enough to drop off and pick up, and you must stay with your vehicle, and GREEN means you can park for a limited time if you need to go into the school
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Other

most of the students who are tardy to school are being dropped off by their parents - students are much more likely to arrive at school on time if they are not being driven
respect posted school zones; even though it may be tempting to exceed the speed limit when you don't see students, don't; while nearly everyone prefers flashing light systems which require reduced speeds only at certain times, these systems are expensive, and it will take time and money to get them installed in more locations; if you would like more flashing light systems, contact your member of the Board of Supervisors to let them know
create carpools with neighbors to reduce the number of vehicles; the air quality around schools is significantly impacted by vehicles transporting students to and from school; 25% of all morning traffic is due to parents driving their children to school
don't use your cell phone while you are driving with children in the vehicle, when in school zones, and particularly not when moving within a drop-off/pick-up lane; studies show cell phone use a major contributor to crashes, similar to drunk driving; hands-free systems do not reduce the danger; other distractions such as drinking your coffee, eating your breakfast, and changing your music are equally dangerous More...

Keep in mind that as a driver, YOU are the greatest danger to students who are walking, bicycling, skateboarding and scootering. This means you need to do your absolute best to make sure these students are safe - they are your responsibility too.

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